Manicas said that while there were some hiccups along the way, he was lucky to have his family help out with the renovation, which saved him money.
“Between myself and my family, we were able to work together and get a lot of it done,” he said.
Trent Manicas designed the kitchen himself. Credit: Joe Armao
“We did a lot of the carpentry work, a lot of the painting, the brickwork and some of the concreting. There was a lot of work that went into it that was quite costly, but we were able to save because we were just so involved in it.”
Having never attempted a renovation before, Manicas, who works in the building industry, said the project gave him the opportunity to get creative. From drafting design plans to helping with the physical labour, Manicas took a hands-on approach from start to finish.
He didn’t make many changes to the original layout of the house. Knocking out a wall that separated the kitchen from the living area was the most noticeable difference.
“That was probably one of the trickiest procedures of all because … we had to get engineering on that done and make sure that it all complied. But once that was out of the way, we had all this room to play with, and I just thought the property had quite an interesting floor plan,” the 27-year-old said.
The once small and closed-off kitchen space has been transformed into an open-plan dining area, featuring black wall panelling, an island bench and butler’s pantry.
Forget the previously tiny (and single) bathroom; the bungalow now boasts three bathrooms, including an ensuite and adjoining walk-in-robe on the upper level.
The main lounge looks out to a newly landscaped backyard, complete with a deck and lots of grass space.
Manicas had the option to extend the property into the backyard, but decided instead to prioritise the outdoor space.
“I always said I want to build something with a backyard – something that kids can grow up in. These days it’s not very common that you get a place with a bit of backyard with some grass… like the same way I grew up,” he said.
The modern feel of the main living space contrasts with the home’s period features. Manicas said the front room, which has stayed true to its period past, was his favourite part of the house.
A wall was knocked out to create an open living space. Credit: Joe Armao
Despite the property being his partner’s “dream home” and spending nearly two years on the renovation, Manicas said it was time to sell the property.
“For a very long period of time, I thought that it would always be something that I would hold on to … unfortunately it’s time for me to move on to some different things,” he explained.
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“I’m glad to have been able to do something nice like this on the road that it’s on. Hopefully, people love it as much as I did.”
The property is scheduled for auction on Saturday, June 8.