The property at 99a Dundas Street, Inglewood had been left to decline for years. By the time House & Co was engaged, it wasn’t a renovation in the conventional sense — it was closer to a full rescue operation. The house itself was structurally sound, a solid 1950s rendered brick home with a classic hipped terracotta tile roof and good bones underneath the accumulated neglect. But the surface was in a state that required everything to be addressed before anything new could begin.
The brief was straightforward: the owner wanted a home they could actually live in. Not a cosmetic refresh, not a single room update — a complete transformation from a derelict property to a contemporary family home. New kitchen. Updated interior throughout. New exterior finish from front fence to roof. The full picture.
Ten skip bins of old materials, accumulated rubbish, and decades of build-up were removed from the property before renovation work could properly begin. That figure alone — ten full skip bins — gives some sense of the scale of what was there before the first trade arrived.
The central challenge of this project was not any single technical problem — it was the baseline. You cannot begin detailed renovation work on a property that has accumulated decades of neglect until you have cleared the site to the point where you can actually see what you’re working with. Ten skip bins removed before a tile was laid or a wall was painted. That’s the real starting point of this project.
Once the clearance was complete and the structure was assessed, the picture was actually encouraging. The 1950s rendered brick frame was sound throughout. No asbestos was identified in the wall linings or ceiling surfaces. No galvanised supply pipes were found — the plumbing was in serviceable condition. The electrical installation was assessed by the licensed electrician and brought to compliance; a Certificate of Compliance was issued on completion. No lead paint was identified in any tested surface. For a property of this age and condition on the surface, finding a clean structure underneath was a genuinely positive outcome.
The consequence of starting from a completely cleared site was that the four-month timeline had to accommodate both the clearance work and the full renovation programme. Sequencing every trade across a property being renovated entirely — not one room, not two, but every room simultaneously — required careful scheduling. The licensed electrician, plumber, tiler, cabinet maker, painter, and landscaping team were all coordinated under one agreement, with one project manager ensuring each trade arrived in the correct sequence and no work was delayed by a preceding trade not being finished.
The result: four months on site. Delivered on schedule
The exterior photograph says more than any description can. The same building — same footprint, same hipped roofline, same rendered walls — is unrecognisable. White render instead of deteriorating cream. Dark charcoal roof tiles instead of broken terracotta. An enclosed garage where there was an open carport. Plantation shutters on every window where there was once diamond-mesh security screening. A proper front garden, a formal entry, outdoor lighting. A home that makes a statement from the street rather than one that apologises for itself.
Inside, the sunroom and dining space is the room that shows most clearly what was possible. The before photograph shows purple-painted brick, exposed copper pipes running down the wall, graffiti on a door, terracotta tiles. The after photograph shows the same room — the same proportions, the same brick columns — painted white, with a dark timber floor, a glass bifold wall opening to a green garden beyond, and a dining table set for a family. Same room. Different world.
Inside, the sunroom and dining space is the room that shows most clearly what was possible. The before photograph shows purple-painted brick, exposed copper pipes running down the wall, graffiti on a door, terracotta tiles. The after photograph shows the same room — the same proportions, the same brick columns — painted white, with a dark timber floor, a glass bifold wall opening to a green garden beyond, and a dining table set for a family. Same room. Different world.
Approximate value uplift following the full renovation: $500,000. For a property that was genuinely derelict at the point of engagement, the transformation is not just financial. The owner has a home worth living in. That was the brief. That’s what was delivered.
“I bought this property knowing it needed a lot of work. I didn’t fully appreciate how much until House & Co walked through it with me at the consultation. Ten skip bins — I still can’t quite believe that number. But they managed every part of it, kept me informed throughout, and what came out the other end is genuinely a home I’m proud of. The exterior on its own was worth every dollar.”
About Project | Details |
Suburb | Inglewood, WA |
Project type | Full House Renovation |
Home age & type | 1950s, rendered brick — hipped roofline |
Design style | Contemporary |
Rooms renovated | Exterior · Kitchen · Sunroom / Dining · Throughout |
Site clearance | 10 skip bins of waste removed before renovation began |
Key challenge | Derelict property — full clearance required before any renovation could commence |
On-site duration | 4 months |
Total timeline | 18 weeks including design and booking |
Asbestos managed | No — none identified (clean property) |
Replumbing | No — existing plumbing serviceable |
Delivered on schedule | Yes ✓ |
Compliance certs | Electrical + Plumbing |
