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House Nerd

  • VISIT THE OLD BLOG
  • Home Envy
  • Before & After
  • Our House
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  • Archives
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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

    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
    A little update for our entry – a fresh new pain A little update for our entry – a fresh new paint colour for our front door, plant shuffle and some new video security! 💛🌿🎥 (Swipe to see a before - what do you think?)

Recently @swannsecurity asked me if I would review a couple of their DIY home security options, including their SwannBuddy Video Doorbell and XTreem Security Camera. My full pros and cons are over on the blog, but overall, I would recommend. Both are wireless and easy to set up and connect (I did myself and I REALLY hate reading boring manuals 🥱). It’s great having video security when you go away, but the best bit - having it has made me feel a LOT safer in our home. When Miss Nerd was three months old and Boy Nerd was 3, I was home alone with them one night while Mr Nerd was at work. I woke up at 2am to Nala barking and growling and a man trying to get in our front door. I called the police who came immediately but they never caught him – I felt so rattled afterwards! 😬We had literally talked THAT day about getting video security (which we got promptly after that, let me tell you). After that, I can't speak more highly about having video security in place if you can afford it 👍🏽

#ad #sponsored #brandedcontent #swannsecurity #videodoorbell #homesecurity #housenerd #housenerdhome #entryrefresh #frontdoor #doorcolour #perthblog #homeblog #entryideas #exteriorcolours
    A budget DIY project for the summer - recovering o A budget DIY project for the summer - recovering our outdoor furniture 💚 We've had these @earlysettlerfurniture outdoor lounges with light brown seat cushions a few years now. I love them but... last year we got a puppy, and she loved them too (swipe 😅🫣❄️). I got material from a @spotlightstores sale and my wonderful mum helped me redo them - she has sewing skills that I don't! We made new pillowcases too - I wanted @amberinteriors style patterns, but without the Amber Interiors price tag 😆 And yes... I did end up using the underside of some of the fabric 😁 I thought it was so pretty - some rules can be broken, right? 😉 It cost about $100 for the material, Mum was free and we haven't come home to 'snow on the grass' since - fingers crossed 🤞🏽🐶

#housenerd #housenerdhome #DIY #DIYblog #DIY #patioideas #patiodecor #outdoorsofa #outdoorliving #summerinperth #coffeetable #perthblog #reuse #australianblog #interiorsblog #DIYideas #puppyproblems #amberinteriors
    We got a new sofa bed and I have to share how impr We got a new sofa bed and I have to share how impressed we are with it! 🤩 With family and guests coming to stay in the summer, and no guest bedroom, we decided to finally buy a sofa bed for my study. After careful measuring to work out what we could actually fit (there's a big archway on the left and a built-in cupboard to contend with) we bought the double sized Cushy Sofa bed from @koala. The slim arms meant it would fit and the promised delivery time meant it should arrive a couple of days before our Christmas guests. 
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Woaah - modern sofa beds have come a long way from the thin, squeaky contraptions of our youth! 😍 It's comfy as a sofa, and as a bed. The mattress is very firm/supportive and while I personally like a softer bed, our guests all said it was a comfortable sleep 😴 The design is so clever - it folds out easily into a bed in seconds (swipe to see video) and no need to store extra pillows if storage is tight - you can use the four pillows it comes with 🛌 
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They must have been doing a pre-Christmas special - we ordered it on a Thursday night and had guaranteed delivery for arrival on Monday. Which it did 😆 I know in an era of COVID delays and long shipping turnarounds that these things do not always happen, so I think it's worth shouting out when it all goes right! 🎉 Koala's customer service was also really good. The only issue is Luka seems to think we got it so she can have her own room 😐
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Now I just have two questions for you, as I'm stuck! Does the fabric colour go with the existing green of my built-in? One day I'd LOVE to wall in this study with a cavity slider - but it's a way off. I've always wanted a cosy all-green study - could I paint all the walls in here, or would that look weird being part of an open-plan space? Your thoughts.... I need them 🙏🏽
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#housenerd #housenerdhome #tryitproperly #sofabed #smallhouse #70shouse #smallhomesolutions #smallhomes #perthhomes #cushysofabed #guestbedroom #guestbed #houseblog #australianblog #perthblog #notsponsoredjustgood #study #wfhspace
    Hope you all had a beautiful Christmas! It was Lu Hope you all had a beautiful  Christmas! It was Luka's first one with us and she was wonderful, except when she decided to put her long legs to use by trying to snatch the baked ham off the table 😳 Thieving aside, we do love her - she is so good with the kids. Such a happy dummy and loves to make everyone laugh; it's like having our own personal clown.

Also thank you for all your very kind words on my previous post. I was blown away 🥹 I read every single one and haven't even managed to reply to all yet but I just wanted to say I appreciated the kindness in every single one ❤️ you are the best tribe! 😊
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#christmastree #christmas2022 #merrychristmas #housenerd #housenerdhome #christmastree #balsamhill #aussieshepherd
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