{"id":7198,"date":"2017-11-23T02:00:18","date_gmt":"2017-11-23T02:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/amazingproperty.com.ng\/blog\/love-it-or-list-it-create-open-plan-living-areas-or-sell\/"},"modified":"2017-11-23T02:00:18","modified_gmt":"2017-11-23T02:00:18","slug":"love-it-or-list-it-create-open-plan-living-areas-or-sell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/amazingproperty.com.ng\/blog\/love-it-or-list-it-create-open-plan-living-areas-or-sell\/","title":{"rendered":"Love It Or List It: Create open plan living areas or sell?"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

\n

Anita and Cameron Wallace have a common property conundrum: do they renovate their cramped family home or do they sell it?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cameron is keen to keep the memories this family of five\u00a0have enjoyed in the three-bedroom house alive and stay.<\/p>\n

\u201cI love this house very much. We\u2019ve spent such an important part of our lives here, bringing up our children in this place,\u201d says Cameron.<\/p>\n

Yet Anita feels they should have moved years ago and is fed up with the property\u2019s warren-like network of rooms and lack of space.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The living room is cramped and dated.\u00a0Picture: Love It Or List It Australia.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

So should Anita and Cameron open up the separate living spaces to create a modern home, or are they better off moving?<\/p>\n

Andrew Winter and\u00a0Neale Whitaker hosts of\u00a0<\/span>Love It Or List It Australia\u00a0<\/em>take a look at the property and offer<\/a> their advice.<\/span><\/p>\n

List it: Why now is a good time to sell<\/h2>\n

The Wallaces live in the leafy suburb of Donvale which just 19km from Melbourne\u2019s CBD.<\/p>\n

The median price for a three-bedroom house like this one is currently $968,000. Their current home is valued at around $1.12m.<\/p>\n

The split-level property dates back to the seventies. It has small rooms in an odd layout, says Winter who believes the Wallaces could buy a better home.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is really, really tiny,\u201d says Winter.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt has low ceilings, a narrow corridor, poky kitchen and some kind of kiddie room,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Winter believes this family of five has simply outgrown the home.<\/p>\n

Love it: reviving a retro home<\/span><\/h2>\n

At the moment, the family are often squeezed into a small living area.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s certainly the weirdest house I\u2019ve seen in a while,\u201d admits Whitaker.<\/p>\n

Reconfiguring the home will be \u201ca real challenge\u201d he says, but the current space can be maximised and opened up to suit the needs of a modern family.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

A brand new, spacious kitchen would make a big difference.\u00a0Picture: Love It Or List It Australia.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cThe key will be creating two big communal areas so the whole family can blend when they want without tripping over each other or the treadmill,\u201d says Whitaker.<\/p>\n

By creating a new informal living area\u00a0with an open-plan kitchen and skylights plus adding a new laundry with more storage, this house would be transformed.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

A master bedroom like this would provide a\u00a0retreat for these parents.\u00a0Picture: Love It Or List It Australia.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The second more formal living area would open up the current lounge room to create a much larger space with more natural light, giving the family another living zone.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy blocking in the door to the entrance, they now have two distinct\u00a0zones \u2013 one for living, one for dining,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

This house might pull the pair in opposite directions but one thing Cameron and Anita do agree on is the property\u2019s location.<\/p>\n

They both love it. So will they stay or will they go?<\/p>\n

Watch\u00a0Love It or List It Australia\u00a0now exclusively on Foxtel\u2019s Lifestyle to see what Anita and Cameron did with this home.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

For more Love it or List It Australia videos and expert advice go to\u00a0lifestyle.com.au<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n <\/p><\/div>\n

Realestate au <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Anita and Cameron Wallace have a common property conundrum: do they renovate their cramped family home … Love It Or List It: Create open plan living areas or sell?<\/span>Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7199,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4],"tags":[1403,12908,543,617,3058,1366,3703,3670,41,818],"class_list":["post-7198","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-opportunities-in-new-markets","tag-buy","tag-home","tag-home-buying-guide","tag-house","tag-location","tag-love-it-or-list-it","tag-love-it-or-list-it-aus","tag-love-it-or-list-it-australia","tag-property","tag-real"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/amazingproperty.com.ng\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/Donvale_livingroom01_Befores.jpg?fit=800%2C600&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":10105,"url":"https:\/\/amazingproperty.com.ng\/blog\/how-to-get-the-most-bang-for-buck-out-of-solar\/","url_meta":{"origin":7198,"position":0},"title":"How to get the most bang for buck out of solar","author":"Amazing Property","date":"April 13, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"What is the most effective way to run your home with solar power? 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