When Rose and Giuseppe, known as Joe, first bought their holiday home in the late '90s, nestled in the picturesque Hunter region of New South Wales in the azure sweep of Nelson Bay, they knew it needed a bit of love.
“It was a fairly old and rather dilapidated Queenslander-style home split into two units," Joe recalls. "We always knew we would eventually want to create something new there, but at that time, we couldn’t really afford it. So, we simply fixed it up and made it comfortable for ourselves.”
The couple resides on a five-acre flower farm in the Hills District on the outskirts of Sydney and used their Nelson Bay bolthole as a summer getaway.
"As our kids were growing up, it was absolutely perfect," says Joe, a former head teacher who now takes on casual placements while assisting Rose with the flower farm. "We wanted something close to the beach where the kids didn't have to cross any major roads, and it's a place we’d eventually like to consider retiring to."
Future-proofing
They had their long-term goal in mind when considering updating their bayside retreat in 2019, soon abandoning the idea of another renovation. "We knew that the property didn’t have good bones and had significant termite damage that we had dealt with over the years," Joe explains.
When they approached Metricon, the fresh start offered by our KnockDown ReBuild process was the perfect fit. It allowed them to transform their second home, maximising the potential of their 500-square metre block with a brand new, larger, and much more beautiful DualOcc home.
Opting for our Sutherland home design with the Yale façade, they retained one half of the expansive duplex as their holiday home, featuring four bedrooms and three bathrooms, and listed it on Airbnb when not in use. They further boost their income by renting out the other home to tenants.
Rose fell in love with the Sutherland design. "All we did was extend the powder room to include a shower and tweak the kitchen to incorporate a brilliant butler’s pantry, which made it perfect," Rose explains of the design phase.
As a part-time events manager and stylist, Rose opted for a simple look for Onda, incorporating elements reminiscent of Metricon’s coastal classic Hamptons style with a touch of Mediterranean flair.
She named the Airbnb Onda, which means 'gentle wave' in Italian. "Being Italians from Sicily, we wanted something that reflected our heritage and the beachy location," she notes. "While we don't have water views, we can hear the waves from our place - it's just a minute's walk away."
Patience makes perfect
There were moments during the build when Rose thought they had downsized a little too much. But appearances can be deceiving. "When it was finished and I was decorating it, I thought, 'Oh my god, this is huge.' From the front door to the back, it covers quite a distance. We love having all that spacious living area downstairs and the bedrooms upstairs."
They cherish the flexible lifestyle their DualOcc investment affords them. “Utilising Airbnb allows us to draw an income from Onda when we’re not using it ourselves, and that’s backed up by the permanent rental on the other side,” Joe explains. "It gives us flexibility for our future."
While waiting for planning permissions kept them on tenterhooks, Joe is pleased with how their Metricon contacts smoothed out the minor bumps along the way. "Our service manager has been fantastic in coordinating everything, from scheduling trades to setting meetings with our site manager," he praises.
Rose is overjoyed at how their KnockDown Rebuild and DualOcc venture turned out. "We love it," she enthuses, with Joe chiming in, "The end result is absolutely brilliant. We've transformed from having what was once the worst house in the best street to now owning the best house on the best street. And that's not just our opinion - it's been conveyed to us by many people."
Looking for a Hunter region getaway? If you're interested in staying at Onda, click here to visit the Airbnb listing.
