Home Love Part 1: Planning my renovation
Before you dive in – hit play on the video to see the first steps of my Home Love renovation journey come to life. Trust me, the before shots alone are worth it!
Watch the video:
As many of you who’ve followed me as Interior Designer Wendy Moore on Selling Houses Australia know, I love a challenge – especially when it involves transforming tired spaces with smart planning and strong design vision.
Renovating an investment property on a tight budget is always a balancing act, but this home (the very first home I bought with my husband) deserved a second chance. It’s full of character, beautiful natural light and huge potential. It just needed a clear plan and a fresh vision to bring it back to life.
This project is part of my Home Love series, where I share honest insights, renovation on a budget strategies and interior design inspiration you can use in your own home.
Big dreams, small budget
My goal from the outset was simple: create maximum impact without overcapitalising. That meant focusing on updates that truly add value – the kitchen, the bathrooms and a few clever structural changes to open up the floorplan. A thoughtful floorplan update can completely shift how a home feels and functions, making it one of the highest‑impact moves in any budget renovation.
Surfaces like flooring and paint would help reset the whole home. I wanted the finished space to feel calm and relaxing, so I developed a coastal interior palette with oak flooring from Flooring Xtra, soft carpets and bright, fresh window furnishings from Veneta. Every idea started on a moodboard before becoming part of the plan, a process I’ve relied on for years on my Selling Houses Australia projects, and one that keeps the vision cohesive from start to finish.
Planning for the transformation
One of the biggest moments in the home renovation planning process? Deciding to remove the old lean‑to – a simple change that would completely transform the home’s flow and natural light. It’s the kind of decision that makes an investment property makeover feel purposeful rather than purely cosmetic.
With every choice, I was designing a home that would be beautiful, functional and ready for a future family. For me, the magic is always in balancing practicality with design heart, and that’s the approach I bring to every project, whether it’s Selling Houses Australia or Home Love.
Watch the journey begin
The real magic of this stage is seeing it unfold, so watch the video to step inside the before spaces, explore the vision and get a feel for what’s coming next, including the before and after renovation moments I can’t wait to share. And, stay tuned for a stylish kitchen renovation on a budget – you won’t believe the transformation!
