The main bedroom for the children is quite cramped. Picture: Love It Or List It Australia
Love It Or List It : Glen, Leanne and their seven children all live in this Canterbury home, but it’s just too small for the family.
Should the McEvoy’s renovate to create the space they desperately need or is it better to sell and buy a bigger house?
Andrew Winter and Neale Whitaker hosts of Love It Or List It Australia, weigh up the options for this family and their overcrowded Californian bungalow.
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The median price for a three-bedroom home in Canterbury like the one the McEvoy’s own is $1.26 million and Winter says now is the time to sell.
The kitchen is also tiny. Picture: Love It Or List It Australia
“These are all the original traditional rooms which are lovely, for maybe a couple with one child,” says Winter.
“But with nine people in this house it needs more than an extension to make it work – it needs a magician,” says Winter.
But even if the McEvoy’s do sell, the couple want to stay in the inner west and their budget for a new home is $1.5-1.7 million.
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More living space and a bigger kitchen are needed. Picture: Love It Or List It Australia
Glen and Leanne estimate that a renovation will cost around $280,000 which Whitaker says is workable.
“So for $280,000 I need to deliver five bedrooms or more, two bathrooms, some much-need additional living space and an outdoor area,” he says.
A renovation would give the kids more space. Picture: Love It Or List It Australia
Whitaker says a renovation should add an eight-metre rear extension, but he can’t quite deliver on the couple’s wish list.
“You’re not going to get three extra bedrooms, you’re going to get two. That’s the compromise. I can’t give you three extra bedrooms but I can give you a whole new house,” he says.
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