A pictorial history of the changes I did to my PPOR
Hi all,
As I'm rather bored this evening I thought I would create a post covering the improvements I have done to my PPOR. The subsequent increase in value has now placed me in a position to release the equity and purchase my first IP. It's pretty long but it has heaps of pics.
I bought this property as it is extremely close to work which was my main requirement.
It is also very well situated between the two major roads heading north out of Adelaide. (Main North road and Port Wakefield Road) and I also have two major shopping centres about 5 minutes in each direction.
It was also cheap being in the Northern suburbs of Adelaide which suited my budget at the time.
The first thing I did was to rip down the rickety shade cloth structure which completely surrounded the house and built a 100sqm veranda on the back of the house which also wrapped around the side and created a further two undercover parking spaces.
The reason this was the first job I tackled was to provide shelter for my dog and also to provide shelter for some of my cars and equipment.
Unfortunately to do this I had to cut down 4 fantastic fruit trees which was a shame but they were poorly positioned and had to go. Luckily I was able to retain the peacherine tree right down the back corner of the yard.
Below are the pics showing the original structure, the new verandah and the pile of rubbish created in the process
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/Veranda-0020.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/Veranda-0018.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/Veranda-0002.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/Veranda-0001.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/Veranda-0037.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/kkk.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/ResizeofBackyard-0001a.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/PIC00002.jpg
Then I got stuck in and built the shed. As a collector of 1960’s and 1970’s Aussie Muscle Cars I really wanted somewhere to work on and restore them. I couldn’t fit in my dream shed but this one will do for now. With the shed, the verandah and the small garage under the main roof I can store 5 cars under cover and out of view of the street. Unfortunately I have 7 cars!!
I initially though of taking the wheels off and just leaving them on the front lawn as they do in many of the northern suburbs (probably some of your tenants) but I have more pride in my home and respect for my neighbours than that.
First I had to clear a spot for the garage and this was no mean feat.
The previous owner (who built the property) was relocating to Brisbane and left plenty of rubbish around for me to sort out!!!
A lot of time was also spent trying to figure out the level for the floor of the shed as I wanted it to be flush with the planned paving under the verandah. This obviously affected the whole construction of the shed with regards to the height of the walls etc.
This involved planning the fall of the paving from the house and I must have got it right as it worked out perfectly. (I was actually never confident I had got it right until I laid the pavers!!)
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/Shed-002.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/Shed-008.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/Shed-011.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/Shed-012.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/Shed-018.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/ResizeofBackyard-0018.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/Shed-044.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/Shed-052.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/Shed-036-1.jpg
Now that I had somewhere secure to store my cars and equipment I decided to get stuck in to the front yard. When I bought the property the front garden looked like the previous owner had walked through a nursery and literally selected one of each plant. It was a shocker.
Even the real estate agent described it as ‘busy’
Some of the plants were very nice though and I was able to get the neighbours to dig them out for me in return for getting to keep the plants.
I then had to level the area. This created a lot of left over soil so I heaped it at one end of the garden and made a feature mound out of it. I only used plastic garden edging as the finances at that time didn’t stretch to the stone border that I wanted. Hopefully I’ll get around to that soon.
I installed pop up sprinklers for the lawn and a dripper system for the garden bed.
I planted a seed lawn which actually worked really well. However, a year or so later it became infested with lawn beetle which completely killed it off. By this time I had installed roll out turf in the back yard so over a space of a few months I transplanted cuttings to the front lawn and these have now spread and covered it completely.
Here’s a few pics detailing the front garden makeover.
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/FrontyYard-0006.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/FrontyYard-0010.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/FrontyYard-0001.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/FrontyYard-0003.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/FrontyYard-0029.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/FrontyYard-0031.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/FrontyYard-0034.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/FrontyYard-0020.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/FrontyYard-0024.jpg
From there I moved on to the backyard. I had five weeks annual leave and spent most of it working harder in my own yard than I ever would at work. (I hope my boss doesn’t read this!!)
I ordered the pavers (130sqm) and had them delivered. This was 7 pallet loads. Luckily the forklift was able to fit under the verandah and place them out the back for me.
I got someone in with a bobcat to dig up all the old concrete which was extremely poorly done by the previous owner. The bobcat also ripped up all the old lawn/weeds and roughly leveled the yard for me.
I got the same guy to deliver the road base material to create the solid base for the paving as well as a few tones of paving sand.
Then it was time to start paving. Over 1300 of the bloody things. I got it done in 5 days and this included Christmas day. I wore out 5 pairs of gloves and was so sore that I couldn’t stand up straight for two weeks!! It looks bloody good though. I must also admit that I have never done any of this type of work before so I learnt a lot of very valuable skills.
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/Paving-0001.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/Paving-0003.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/Paving-0004.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/Paving-0005.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/Paving-0009.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/Paving-0015.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/Paving-043.jpg
Once the paving was done and the edges secured with mortar I got stuck in to the lawn. I got a few tonnes of sandy loam delivered and levelled it out.
I also installed pop up sprinklers for the lawn
The lawn is a sterile kikuyu and I have been extremely happy with it although it needs a bit of work to keep on top of during the warmer months. It’s very hard wearing though yet soft under foot.
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/Lawn-0003.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/Lawn-0012.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/Lawn-0019.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/ResizeofDSCF0007.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/Lawn-0012.jpg
I also got busy and erected a garden shed (can’t have those garden tools cluttering up my car shed now can I?) and also painted the rear fence to tidy it up a bit.
Next was to create a garden area out the back. I was originally going to use fancy stone walls but in the end decided to use treated pine sleepers to keep the cost down.
I did use some stone wall in one section for a bit of a feature though. The wall is not finished yet as I need to get one of the bricks cut in half so I can stagger the two layers and then I can rebuild it and actually glue/mortar them in place.
I also cleaned up the area down the side of the house which had more of that dodgy concrete. I had a few large concrete pavers laying around so I used them and a bit of gravel to tidy it up.
This was meant to be a temporary fix to clean that area up prior to the valuation and I was eventually planning to carry on the paving down that side. Once I finished the job though I decided I liked the way it looked so I will leave it like that. I am concerned that I forgot to place weed mat under the gravel though. That will probably come back to haunt me!!
I also installed some bamboo screening on the fence as the cream coloured fence made it unbearably bright when sitting out the back. It was also causing the plants to burn very badly. The screening has helped soften the look of the fence and the plants are now thriving
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/garden.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/ResizeofDSCF0024.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/ResizeofDSCF0027.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/ResizeofDSCF0023.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/kkk.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/ResizeofDSCF0025.jpg
That’s it for now. I still have to install a gate down the side of the house and replace the metal gates on the driveway side with an electric panel lift door (I don’t have the height available for a roller door)
All up I have spent $20,000 and last month the property was valued at $50,000 more than I paid for it. This is in Elizabeth South which has one of Adelaides lowest median house prices and very slow growth.
I paid $165,000 for the property 3 years ago which was probably about $10,000 above market value. I was aware of this and made an offer above asking price (amidst fierce competition) to secure the property as it was in the perfect location for me. I have probably saved that $10,000 in fuel costs as work is now an 8 minute drive as opposed to a 40 minute drive each way from my previous rental accommodation.
The house was cheap which means a low mortgage and I now have equity available to take my first steps in to the world of property investing.
Once I have my first investment property up and running I intend to refurbish the inside of my house. It is 17 years old and is looking a little dated although is still perfectly respectable and functional.
I don’t intend to move from this place until I have the available finances to build my dream property so I will definitely get the benefit from the outlay.
I am also hoping that once the interior is modernized that I will once again be able to have it revalued (along with the IP) and have enough equity to purchase my second IP.
That’s the plan anyway.
Hi all,
As I'm rather bored this evening I thought I would create a post covering the improvements I have done to my PPOR. The subsequent increase in value has now placed me in a position to release the equity and purchase my first IP. It's pretty long but it has heaps of pics.
I bought this property as it is extremely close to work which was my main requirement.
It is also very well situated between the two major roads heading north out of Adelaide. (Main North road and Port Wakefield Road) and I also have two major shopping centres about 5 minutes in each direction.
It was also cheap being in the Northern suburbs of Adelaide which suited my budget at the time.
The first thing I did was to rip down the rickety shade cloth structure which completely surrounded the house and built a 100sqm veranda on the back of the house which also wrapped around the side and created a further two undercover parking spaces.
The reason this was the first job I tackled was to provide shelter for my dog and also to provide shelter for some of my cars and equipment.
Unfortunately to do this I had to cut down 4 fantastic fruit trees which was a shame but they were poorly positioned and had to go. Luckily I was able to retain the peacherine tree right down the back corner of the yard.
Below are the pics showing the original structure, the new verandah and the pile of rubbish created in the process
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/Veranda-0020.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/Veranda-0018.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/Veranda-0002.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/Veranda-0001.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/Veranda-0037.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/kkk.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/ResizeofBackyard-0001a.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/PIC00002.jpg
Then I got stuck in and built the shed. As a collector of 1960’s and 1970’s Aussie Muscle Cars I really wanted somewhere to work on and restore them. I couldn’t fit in my dream shed but this one will do for now. With the shed, the verandah and the small garage under the main roof I can store 5 cars under cover and out of view of the street. Unfortunately I have 7 cars!!
I initially though of taking the wheels off and just leaving them on the front lawn as they do in many of the northern suburbs (probably some of your tenants) but I have more pride in my home and respect for my neighbours than that.
First I had to clear a spot for the garage and this was no mean feat.
The previous owner (who built the property) was relocating to Brisbane and left plenty of rubbish around for me to sort out!!!
A lot of time was also spent trying to figure out the level for the floor of the shed as I wanted it to be flush with the planned paving under the verandah. This obviously affected the whole construction of the shed with regards to the height of the walls etc.
This involved planning the fall of the paving from the house and I must have got it right as it worked out perfectly. (I was actually never confident I had got it right until I laid the pavers!!)
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/Shed-002.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/Shed-008.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/Shed-011.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/Shed-012.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/Shed-018.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/ResizeofBackyard-0018.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/Shed-044.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/Shed-052.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/Shed-036-1.jpg
Now that I had somewhere secure to store my cars and equipment I decided to get stuck in to the front yard. When I bought the property the front garden looked like the previous owner had walked through a nursery and literally selected one of each plant. It was a shocker.
Even the real estate agent described it as ‘busy’
Some of the plants were very nice though and I was able to get the neighbours to dig them out for me in return for getting to keep the plants.
I then had to level the area. This created a lot of left over soil so I heaped it at one end of the garden and made a feature mound out of it. I only used plastic garden edging as the finances at that time didn’t stretch to the stone border that I wanted. Hopefully I’ll get around to that soon.
I installed pop up sprinklers for the lawn and a dripper system for the garden bed.
I planted a seed lawn which actually worked really well. However, a year or so later it became infested with lawn beetle which completely killed it off. By this time I had installed roll out turf in the back yard so over a space of a few months I transplanted cuttings to the front lawn and these have now spread and covered it completely.
Here’s a few pics detailing the front garden makeover.
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/FrontyYard-0006.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/FrontyYard-0010.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/FrontyYard-0001.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/FrontyYard-0003.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/FrontyYard-0029.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/FrontyYard-0031.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/FrontyYard-0034.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/FrontyYard-0020.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/FrontyYard-0024.jpg
From there I moved on to the backyard. I had five weeks annual leave and spent most of it working harder in my own yard than I ever would at work. (I hope my boss doesn’t read this!!)
I ordered the pavers (130sqm) and had them delivered. This was 7 pallet loads. Luckily the forklift was able to fit under the verandah and place them out the back for me.
I got someone in with a bobcat to dig up all the old concrete which was extremely poorly done by the previous owner. The bobcat also ripped up all the old lawn/weeds and roughly leveled the yard for me.
I got the same guy to deliver the road base material to create the solid base for the paving as well as a few tones of paving sand.
Then it was time to start paving. Over 1300 of the bloody things. I got it done in 5 days and this included Christmas day. I wore out 5 pairs of gloves and was so sore that I couldn’t stand up straight for two weeks!! It looks bloody good though. I must also admit that I have never done any of this type of work before so I learnt a lot of very valuable skills.
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/Paving-0001.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/Paving-0003.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/Paving-0004.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/Paving-0005.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/Paving-0009.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/Paving-0015.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/Paving-043.jpg
Once the paving was done and the edges secured with mortar I got stuck in to the lawn. I got a few tonnes of sandy loam delivered and levelled it out.
I also installed pop up sprinklers for the lawn
The lawn is a sterile kikuyu and I have been extremely happy with it although it needs a bit of work to keep on top of during the warmer months. It’s very hard wearing though yet soft under foot.
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/Lawn-0003.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/Lawn-0012.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/Lawn-0019.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/ResizeofDSCF0007.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/Lawn-0012.jpg
I also got busy and erected a garden shed (can’t have those garden tools cluttering up my car shed now can I?) and also painted the rear fence to tidy it up a bit.
Next was to create a garden area out the back. I was originally going to use fancy stone walls but in the end decided to use treated pine sleepers to keep the cost down.
I did use some stone wall in one section for a bit of a feature though. The wall is not finished yet as I need to get one of the bricks cut in half so I can stagger the two layers and then I can rebuild it and actually glue/mortar them in place.
I also cleaned up the area down the side of the house which had more of that dodgy concrete. I had a few large concrete pavers laying around so I used them and a bit of gravel to tidy it up.
This was meant to be a temporary fix to clean that area up prior to the valuation and I was eventually planning to carry on the paving down that side. Once I finished the job though I decided I liked the way it looked so I will leave it like that. I am concerned that I forgot to place weed mat under the gravel though. That will probably come back to haunt me!!
I also installed some bamboo screening on the fence as the cream coloured fence made it unbearably bright when sitting out the back. It was also causing the plants to burn very badly. The screening has helped soften the look of the fence and the plants are now thriving
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/garden.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/ResizeofDSCF0024.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/ResizeofDSCF0027.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/ResizeofDSCF0023.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/kkk.jpg
http://i181.photobucket.com/albums/x279/monaromad/ResizeofDSCF0025.jpg
That’s it for now. I still have to install a gate down the side of the house and replace the metal gates on the driveway side with an electric panel lift door (I don’t have the height available for a roller door)
All up I have spent $20,000 and last month the property was valued at $50,000 more than I paid for it. This is in Elizabeth South which has one of Adelaides lowest median house prices and very slow growth.
I paid $165,000 for the property 3 years ago which was probably about $10,000 above market value. I was aware of this and made an offer above asking price (amidst fierce competition) to secure the property as it was in the perfect location for me. I have probably saved that $10,000 in fuel costs as work is now an 8 minute drive as opposed to a 40 minute drive each way from my previous rental accommodation.
The house was cheap which means a low mortgage and I now have equity available to take my first steps in to the world of property investing.
Once I have my first investment property up and running I intend to refurbish the inside of my house. It is 17 years old and is looking a little dated although is still perfectly respectable and functional.
I don’t intend to move from this place until I have the available finances to build my dream property so I will definitely get the benefit from the outlay.
I am also hoping that once the interior is modernized that I will once again be able to have it revalued (along with the IP) and have enough equity to purchase my second IP.
That’s the plan anyway.
Last edited: