Homes of the Hunter | From drab to fab - major renovation creates stunning split-level home with soaring ceilings at Lakelands

You can picture the building clear as day: an uninspiring brick block with slit windows up the top to let in some light, high enough so there's plenty of room inside for walls, walls, walls.

But not anymore.

From old school to a modern masterpiece, this split-level house at Lakelands has undergone significant renovations to bring it into the present day and to make it a beautiful family home for Michael, Hayley and their young boys Charlie and Oliver.

Micheal and Hayley had undertaken small renovations on previous homes, but this was their first major build.

They bought the property in 2017 after living next door to it. They had fallen in love with the suburb. The process started in 2019 with design work, and the building began in earnest in 2020.

"We took on this project as we love the area and found this property," Michael says.

"It's a great neighbourhood, but this was the worst house in the best street.

"Our vision was to have a house to enjoy and to entertain in, that was open plan and somewhere for our kids to grow in and enjoy, well into the future."

They engaged with local group Extrabuild to bring their dream to life: an open-flow home with lots of light which embodied easy living.

"The original property was a squat two-storey brick building with very little street appeal," Extrabuild CEO Paul Dyett, who led the rebuild, says.

Paul and his team set to work on delivering a home that fulfilled their wishes and transformed the three-bedroom 'squash court' into a four double-bedroom sanctuary.

Leaving only a concrete slab and two walls from the original building, Extrabuild created a split-level home with soaring ceilings.

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It also created open plan kitchen-living-dining spaces; media room; linen room; toy room; double garage; study-homework hub; master walk-in wardrobe; main bathroom plus ensuite and a powder room; butler's pantry and a stunning deck that overlooks the backyard and new concrete inground pool.

The brightness is accentuated by the clever use of space, a neutral colour palette and abundance of natural light flowing through the home.

"We wanted light and we wanted a neutral look," Michael said.

"We didn't want out-there colours that were going to date. We aimed for nice soft whites, not bright whites, plus soft colours like grey.

"We put in a pot plant here and there for colour, and added warm timber features and Caesarstone benchtops to break it up.

"I've got to credit Hayley - she was amazing with the colours and the coming together of the design."

The effect is a sleek, sophisticated look that pairs perfectly with the scenic views of the district and lake, and creates an air of relaxation.

While the design approach was fairly straightforward, other elements took some tweaking to arrive at the end result we see today. One of the bigger alterations was the approach to flooring.

"We had originally planned for laminate floors," Michael said.

"But Paul recommended we go with hardwood timber floors instead. We then had to find a way to budget things around to fit it in, but it was worth it as it has given us so much extra pleasure."

"We had this vision of what we wanted, but as it evolved, we got the 'wow' factor instead."

Paul also implemented louvre windows to promote air flow and create a welcoming cross-breeze, used durable stone benchtops in the kitchen, laundry and bathrooms for longer-lasting wear, and placed engineered recycled boards on the back deck, adding beneficial elements of sustainability for years to come.

There are plenty of treats throughout the home too: a downstairs toy room for the boys gives them their own space and keeps games and toys contained, plus plenty of storage was a must, such as clever shower ledges and a huge storage room.

Yet, out of all the beautiful finishes and inclusions, it's the front door that brings Michael the most joy.

"You walk in the door and with the high ceiling and the aspect - you see the stairs and media room and window that looks out to the sky - you just go 'wow'.

"We just think 'we're home'. It's our proud moment. It's what we wanted from the start."

So the worst house in the best street turned into the greatest achievement, Michael says.

"We got there in the end. Every renovation is a journey and adventure, it doesn't always go the way you want, but we got the product we were after. We are extremely happy."

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