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House Nerd

  • VISIT THE OLD BLOG
  • Home Envy
  • Before & After
  • Our House
  • DIY
  • Advice
  • Happier Home
  • Nerd Life
  • Home Projects
  • Archives
  • Contact
    • Sponsorships
  • About Me
  • In The Media
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  • DIY

    How To Make DIY Wallpaper from An Old Book

    August 9, 2019April 20, 2021

    This post was first published on my original blog format on November 17, 2014.  Today I’m going to share a very easy DIY project – one that I think is maybe my favourite DIY project ever. I feel like everyone should do this to their home, partly because it is so easy, but mostly because

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  • Before & After

    Penshurst – A Sea Captain’s Mansion Saved from Ruin

    May 22, 2019October 16, 2019

    I have a soft spot for Penshurst, the historic house I’m going to share with you today – which was actually one of my very first home tours – in fact I visited it before I’d even clicked ‘publish’ on my first blog post! (Original post here). When I was a teenager, after school my

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  • Our House

    From Bugcatchers to Bluetooth LEDs: Our Lighting Makeover

    March 31, 2019April 14, 2019

    “I just want lights on a dimmer,” I used to say to my husband every time the topic of new lights came up. I remember when I was growing up and my friend’s house had their lounge room lights on a dimmer and I thought mood lighting was just the most incredible fancy thing I’d

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  • Happier Home

    What I’d Buy on Facebook Marketplace Today (If I Wasn’t Broke)

    February 2, 2019December 16, 2019

    I was a teenager the first time someone told me I had an addictive personality, and I didn’t know what it meant. “Oh!” I said brightly. “Meaning people find me addictive?” I was picturing myself as this alluring, magnetic creature. “NO,” they shot back rudely. “It just means that you get addicted to things very

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  • Home Envy

    The Hilton Fibro Cottage Renovation

    January 3, 2019January 7, 2019

    I love this house. This is the former home of our friends Tim and Caity Phillips, it’s a cool renovation and a house that I like because it suits its owners down to a tee. You guys may already know Tim’s name from some of my earlier posts; he and his TJP Carpentry team put

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  • Before & After

    From 80s Bland to a Gorgeous Contemporary Renovation

    June 19, 2018June 19, 2018

    Whenever I hear of a young couple that has worked their butts off to get into real estate from a young age, I find it easy to empathise. Mr Nerd and I have also worked hard and made sacrifices to get on the property ladder ourselves. Unfortunately, even when you think you’ve done ‘the right

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  • Before & After

    A Reno that Makes the Most of Amazing Country Views

    June 19, 2018June 19, 2018

    Can you believe that until recently, I had never caught an episode of Selling Houses Australia (we don’t have Foxtel – at least not yet… this may now change) and the show has been around since 2008. Now in its eleventh season on Foxtel’s Lifestyle channel, this multi-award winning show is bigger than ever. I

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  • Happier Home

    How a Freezer Club Can Make You More Organised (and a Giveaway!)

    May 31, 2018July 22, 2019

    My freezer club started with a jar of homemade tomato sauce left on my doorstep. A friend of mine had messaged the girls group chat and said she’d just made a huge vat of veggie-filled passata but had way too much – would anyone else like some? Four of us said yes please. I added

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  • Perth-Builder-Oswald-Homes-custom-home-building-Oak-Park-house-nerd-multi-generational (12)

    Home Envy

    A Stunning Nedlands Home Designed for Three Generations

    April 18, 2018April 18, 2018

    With increasing urban sprawl and an ageing elderly population, there is one kind of home we’re now seeing more of – the multi-generational home. And I have to say they rarely get lovelier than this. This gorgeous home is a new one I recently had the pleasure of visiting. This house is named the Oak

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  • Home Envy

    From 70s Brick Box to Timeless Beach House

    March 31, 2018August 5, 2019

    I love Perth. But in my humble opinion, the rugged NSW coast has to be one of the most beautiful and special parts of Australia. A few years ago my sister-in-law relocated from Sydney to live in a beach house in a small town a couple of hours south of the city (just near Berry,

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  • how-to-make-pretty-shampoo-bathroom-bottles-DIY-house-nerd-home

    Home Projects

    How To: DIY Beautiful Shampoo and Bathroom Bottles

    March 12, 2018September 12, 2021

    There’s nothing like stepping into your beautiful, blissful bathroom renovation, carefully designed in a minimalist colour palette of tasteful neutrals… only for your eye to be immediately drawn to the stash of colourful, garishly labelled shampoo and conditioner bottles in your shower. Am I being a little OCD? Yeah, I know it’s a first world

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  • Home Envy

    An Old Lady Cottage Freshened Up for a Young Family

    February 15, 2018February 16, 2018

    What do you do when you love renovating and building and are itching to do it again… but you love your current location, which is just perfect for your family? Well, it might not happen very often, but these two dedicated renovators sold their much-loved labour of love – and built their next home right

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  • Nerd Life

    Renovating our House: What I’ve Learned and My Advice for Renovators

    November 20, 2017May 25, 2021

    “If we ever renovate again, I would…” “Our next house, we should do this…” These are words Mr Nerd and I have uttered to each other many a time as we’ve been ankle-deep in renovation rubble here. I am still FAR from a renovating pro, but we’ve learned a lot of things through trial and

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  • Home Envy

    A Light and Bright Home Renovation in North Fremantle

    October 13, 2017May 4, 2018

    When I am scrolling through Instagram, the photos always guaranteed to stop me in my tracks are ones of renovating. Maybe it’s because I have always been obsessed with a good before and after story – all the bits, from the demo to the drywall to the decking being laid out – but there is

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  • Advice

    Hidden Housemates: One Important Thing First Home Owners Rarely Think About

    September 22, 2017October 3, 2017

    This post was brought to you by Nuffnang and Termidor. All writing is mine and all views expressed are my own. Buying your first house is such an exciting time, especially if you have always rented. All of a sudden here is this house you can theoretically do anything to that you want – paint,

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  • house-renovation-perth-home-renovation-70s-80s-house-DIY-Scarborough-housenerd

    Home Renovations

    A 1980s Renovated Home on a Steep Scarborough Site

    August 25, 2017August 25, 2017

    Amy and Andrew Palmer-Millin stumbled upon their new home by accident. They were house-hunting in seaside Scarborough and were on their way to a different home open when they chanced upon the place that was to become their next home. “We accidentally went to see the house, it wasn’t on our list to view at

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  • Home Envy

    A Federation House Renovation in Mount Lawley

    August 25, 2017August 2, 2019

    What better way to celebrate turning 100 than with a makeover that makes you feel beautiful? If houses could talk, this stunning Federation home in Mount Lawley would certainly agree. Once beautiful back in its heyday, this old Federation home had many charming character details. But over the decades it had fallen into disrepair and

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  • Home Envy

    A DIY Makeover for a Daggy 70s Willetton Home

    August 20, 2017May 8, 2019

    Would you buy a house you hated? Could you make an offer on a home with an interior you didn’t like at all – a home that was actually a particularly ugly example of the era it was built? Home owners Craig and Emma Croxford did – buying a 1970s Willetton house that was so

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  • Home Envy

    The Nature-Inspired Eco House

    August 19, 2017July 29, 2019

    Well, this is it, guys – hands-down one of the coolest houses I’ve had the honour of featuring on House Nerd! This is Nature Inspired Eco House. Designed for a tiny 200sqm infill block in the city, this two-storey, solar passive new home is eco-friendly and runs on renewable energy (with no air-con). Built from a

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  • Before & After

    Saved From Knockdown: A 1970s Family House Reno

    February 17, 2017April 8, 2020

    When Penny and Mat bought a dark, dated and daggy 1970s home in City Beach, they thought it might be a knockdown job – and their friends presumed they would bulldoze it and build anew, too. But when Penny and Mat decided that instead they were going to renovate and extend to make it a

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  • Home Envy

    Two Apartment House: The Ground Floor Apartment

    July 22, 2016July 29, 2019

    This story was originally published on my old blog format on July 26, 2016. The house I’m sharing with you today is so cool – and ahead of the general Perth design curve. Built on a tiny inner-city infill block just 200sqm in size, it’s a freestanding house that has been designed to comfortably accommodate

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  • Home Envy

    The Woodbridge Weatherboard Renovation

    June 21, 2016June 25, 2018

    This story first appeared on my original House Nerd blog here. It was dilapidated, needed love and had slowly deteriorated to the point that almost none of the doors and windows could be closed properly. But there was something mesmerising about the old weatherboard cottage that drew young couple and serial renovators Nat and Trent

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  • Home Envy

    The Eco-Friendly Small House in Maylands

    April 27, 2016July 29, 2019

    I have been a fan of the houses of WA architect Ben Mountford for a while now. You might remember I did a story a few years ago on the renovation and extension he designed for this old Mt Hawthorn cottage, which won him an architecture award. His homes are cool; yet relaxed and liveable, different; but not

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  • Home Envy

    A 1960s Cottage in a Quiet Country Town

    February 27, 2015May 19, 2021

    I felt like I was going back in time a bit when I went to visit this house. In a quiet town about an hour’s drive out of Perth, this 1960s red brick cottage is home to interior designer Hayley Kessner, 31, (known as Hayley Gemma) and her husband Chadd, 38, a builder and construction manager.

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  • Home Envy

    The Pretty Palmyra Weatherboard Cottage

    January 7, 2015May 2, 2021

    I love all the houses I put on House Nerd. But with its unpretentious character details, classic weatherboard build and young owners who DIYed and decorated the whole house on a shoestring budget with lots of secondhand, op shop and side-of-the-road finds, this Palmyra cottage felt extra-special to me the moment I entered. I grew

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  • Home Envy

    A Spooky Old Sea Captain’s Mansion

    October 28, 2014July 4, 2021

    Some people like gardens that are perfectly neat, with not a weed in sight or leaf out of place. But I tend to prefer the messy, crazy, overgrown ones; big and rambling, or small courtyard gardens, I like ones that enshroud their houses in dark jungle-like thickets. To me a crazy overgrown garden is so

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  • how-to-make-a-pressed-tin-bedhead-house-nerd

    DIY

    DIY: How to Make a Pressed Tin Bedhead

    April 14, 2014May 24, 2021

    Today’s post is about how we made this bedhead out of pressed tin panels for our main suite – a nice way of adding impact and charm into our rather small bedroom. When we gave our bedroom a makeover, one of the major things Mr Nerd and I knew we had to do was upgrade

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  • Happier Home

    10 Tips for Styling a Home on a Budget

    October 6, 2013May 15, 2021

    When it comes to creating a beautiful and comfortable home, you really don’t need a ton of spare cash. No, really! I’m often awed by people who pull off a gorgeous home given only a tight budget. Of all the designers and decorators I know, one of those who is very, very good at styling

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  • Advice

    Renovating a Rental… As A Tenant

    August 14, 2013May 15, 2021

    “Dear Nelly and Sam, I just wanted to say thank you for being such wonderful tenants, looking after the house so well and particularly for all the improvements you made. The bathroom looks particularly wonderful. I love the photos on the blog site… from that I got the impression you enjoyed living there as much

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    housenerd

    One of my favourite pieces of tech in our home is One of my favourite pieces of tech in our home is our @sproutaus Immerse Bluetooth Speaker. I was gifted one of these for a review two years ago, and we still use it all the time. The sound quality is so good, and I really notice how being able to play your favourite music easily boosts your mood and enhances your day-to-day life 🎶😊
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To be honest, I said yes to receiving this initially to be able to give it to Mr Nerd, who is a huge music fan. I knew it would score me points! 😁 But the truth is the speaker has been something our whole family loves. We play music on it while cooking, baking, prepping oranges for Boy Nerd’s football.... I can’t believe I’ve become a footy mum now -  I don’t smile like this on those freezing early mornings! 🥶😆 It also gets a workout during dinner parties, barbecues, we take it on holidays, and it fits on the basket of my e-Bike for picnics. The rechargeable battery offers up to 4 to 5 hours of unplugged playtime 🎶
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Immerse also has two built-in wireless charging pads for effortless convenience – you can charge two phones off it at once! No more slyly unplugging your partner’s phone to charge your own 😉📱<📱
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#ad #gifted #sponsored #sproutaus #housenerd #housenerdhome #wablog #homeproducts #immersebluetoothspeaker #greattech #techforthehome #howwehome #bluetoothproducts #70shouse #perthhomes #perthblog
    Perfect rainy weather for sofa snuggles 🌧️ Th Perfect rainy weather for sofa snuggles 🌧️ This beautiful blanket was a gift from my dear friend Julie @bedtonic. Handmade in Nepal from natural fibres, it is SO SOFT with gorgeous fringed edges. Being cashmere and wool, it's also smell-resistant - great if you have a pet 😆 Bedtonic only sell 'forever' pieces and this is definitely one 🖤
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Speaking of forever pieces, I've talked to so many friends lately about paring back the stuff in our homes. We are all in the same boat with busy lives and work, but want our homes to be more minimal and easier to pick up and manage. I've donated a lot.... but there are some 'forever things' I never will:
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1. My 1930s oak cabinet. A gift from friends for my 28th birthday. It makes me feel like a real grown up 😜 I used to hide my fancy chocolate in it - the kids and hubby would run past it in plain sight a hundred times a day 😶‍🌫️ It was from @postirving (who are back open now!)
2. Two gifts given to me when Nala died. A @winterwares bud vase from @tanya.birnie, and my mini-Nala, handmade as a surprise for me by the beautiful soul behind @something.scouted 🥹 Yep, I cried happy tears when I opened it. 
3. The antique clock. A heirloom from my hubby's family. I love how it looks, hate the hourly chiming! You can turn the sound off with a key. Sometimes to annoy me Mr Nerd has turned it on and hidden the key 🙄
4 Smoking is bad, but this cigarette tin was one of the only items my dad had when he came to Australia so to me it is special. A little reminder of how hard he worked for us and where hard work can get you. 
5. Our cups from Stewart Scambler. Handmade ceramics just FEEL special 🤎
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#gifted #housenerdhome #housenerd #bedtonic #shoplocal #perthsmallbusiness #throw #cosy #rainydays #aussieshepherd #perthhomes #perthblog #wablog #vintage #curatedeclectic #leatherandwood #warmminimal #70shome
    House creeping in leafy suburbs with @tanya_birnie House creeping in leafy suburbs with @tanya_birnie 🌿 I actually took a photo of the first house years ago because I love it so much. But this time there was a dog out the front which now makes it an 11/10 instead of a 10/10 🏆🐩 Let's play! Which lovely old brick home would you have: 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5? 
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#housecreeping #housenerding #perthhomes #homeenvy #oldhouses #perthproperty #houseblog #australianblog #luxuryhomes #perthblog #oldhomes #brickhomes #houseaccount #housestalking
    Well, this customised Monopoly set officially wins Well, this customised Monopoly set officially wins first place for the best business birthday gift - maybe even PR gift - I've ever seen 😆🏆 Local WA building company @plunketthomes recently celebrated their 120th birthday - and sent me this amazing Monopoly set... custom-made to feature Perth suburbs they've built in. Made me laugh. No boots or Scottie dogs either, btw - all the tokens are building tools! You can buy up and build your way through WA suburbs including Cottesloe, Melville and East Freo... notably missing Joondalup and Morley though 😜 "And Dog Swamp," said Mr Nerd. 
"You realise Dog Swamp is not a suburb, right?" I said. 
(We are still arguing. Google is not cooperating).
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As a builder @plunketthomes sit under the @jwhgroup umbrella, along with @oswaldhomes, @ruralbuildingcompany and @wacountrybuilders. I've written about so many JWH homes over the years, and never visited one I didn't love. Not surprised Plunkett are celebrating 120 years of success - congratulations guys 🥳🎂🥂 Looking forward to many more games of building hotels in Dalkeith 💰😏
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#gifted #plunketthomes #buildingcompanyperth #prgift #perthbuilder #perthhomes #housenerd #housenerdhome #perthblog #perthblogger #houseblog #homesblogger #monopoly #giftideas
    Some lovely rain for our summer-parched garden and Some lovely rain for our summer-parched garden and a new blog post 😊 I got a DM recently asking how the driveway we painted in lockdown with @crommelin_australia Tinted Sealer was holding up now. With both old and new driveway to stitch together somehow, this was a job we would have loved to hire out but wasn't in the budget, so we did it DIY  for about $400. I thought I'd show pictures I took today - two years on and after daily use. Just letting you know, I didn't tidy or clean up our garden for your visit. That means we are real friends now 😜 Will link blog post in my Stories 🖤 
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#housenerd #housenerdhome #painteddriveway #crommelin #drivewaypaint #DIYdriveway #womenwhodiy #DIYblog #budgetrenovation #houseblog #budgetrenovating #renovation #paintmakeover #gardenideas #landscapingideas #70shouse #70shouserenovation
    If you saw my little front door makeover the other If you saw my little front door makeover the other day, then you might have seen our newest addition - our video doorbell! 💛Some of you might understand me here – sometimes, you just don’t FEEEL like answering the door to certain people. Right? 

I recently partnered with @swannsecurity to review a couple of their home security options, and had way too much fun creating some content to show their SwannBuddy Video Doorbell 😬😅 Can you guess who I am in each one? I'll be impressed if anyone gets them all right 😜 Who do you like seeing at your doorstep? Who do you NOT answer the door to?

Designed to give young families peace of mind and a feeling of safety at home, I’m impressed with this doorbell. I've put my pros and  cons on the blog, but I can't see us going back to not having one. So good being able to see who is there before you answer it... or don’t 😆 And so useful seeing if you've had a delivery while you're out. Thanks Swann for giving me a fun excuse to have fun with this... the only awkward moment was when a delivery guy came by while I was pretending to be a delivery guy 😬🫥
#ad #sponsored #brandedcontent #swannsecurity #videodoorbell #homesecurity #housenerd #housenerdhome #swannbuddy #perthblog #homesafety #houseblog #entryideas #entryrefresh #perthproperty
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