When Pia Smillie and her family decided to make the move from inner city Kew to Mt Martha, where they had holidayed for many years, the process of purchasing the perfect home was not an easy one. The property they viewed with the prospect of buying simply didn’t tick any of the boxes of what they were looking for as a new coastal residence, other than having a good land size and being located close to the beach and Mt Martha Village.
“I didn’t even want to go and see it to be honest,” explains Pia. “But it had been sitting on the market for a while, so it seemed like a good investment opportunity. Kate Walker and KWD had worked with us on designing our home in Kew, so we asked Kate to visit the Mt Martha property with us to give us her advice on the viability of the purchase. That was a life changing decision.”
Pia had seen what KWD had created with the renovation at Beechwood, the family home that Kate had designed some years ago, so she felt comfortable that Kate could visualise the end result of a well-executed transformation. Pia really didn’t feel that the property they were looking to purchase had potential, and she wanted KWD’s advice as to whether they should proceed.
Explains Pia, “The minute Kate saw the home, she instantly loved the roof pitch and could see that the home had fabulous bones. She immediately visualised what the home could become with the right design direction. It was a massive leap of faith for me because I simply don’t have the ability to see potential and didn’t have a sense of what we could create. Kate knew she could transform the house into our dream home.”
Pia and her family were on a tight renovation budget and were concerned about the managing the renovation process. For them it was all about the location and accommodation the property offered, andthey made the decision to put their faith in the experts, trusting they could renovate their home and achieve what they needed, with KWD’s vision, guidance and execution.
Now three years on, after an 11-month settlement, 12 months of living in the home whilst plans andpermits were completed, and an 18-month renovation, the transformation is complete. “Honestly, if Kate hadn’t convinced us to purchase the property and given us the vision for the renovation, we never would have bought it. Having her visit the site and guide us has resulted in us having the dream home wenever imagined we would ever have. I never thought in my whole life that I would have a house as beautiful as this. I simply cannot believe that this is our home.”
For anyone who doesn’t have the design expertise to visualise the potential of a house or land, and is doubting the viability of a property purchase, trusting an expert like Kate Walker and the KWD team can be a life changing decision. KWD engenders confidence and if you trust in the process, you will not be disappointed. Conversely, if the property or land site can’t achieve your dream home, they will guide and advise you and steer you in the right direction.
Says Pia, “I was nervous at so many points of the renovation process, but Kate backed herself 100%, and she was 100% right every time. She took us out of our comfort zone, but we trusted her with every aspect ,and all of the things I was most nervous and unconfident about are the things I love the most.”
The Smillie property became their family home in April 2022.