The Queensland Times ePaper

Howzat for a reno?

ALEKS and Andrew Marer are not big cricket fans, but don’t tell their neighbours. When the couple moved in to the 90-year-old character home in Virginia eight years ago, they had no idea of its history.

Words: Elizabeth Tilley

THE quintessential Queenslander was the childhood home of the late cricket great Ken ‘Slasher’ Mackay, who played 37 tests for Australia and scored more than 1500 runs.

“In the area, it’s quite well known for its history,” Mrs Marer said.

“The neighbours, who have been here for a while, still remember it as the Mackay residence.”

It all started in the backyard of the home, which Mackay shared with his five brothers and sisters.

“When we were researching the house, the family told us that Ken was the eldest sibling and every Christmas there would always be cricket in the backyard, and that there was lots of cricket talent in the family,” Mrs Marer said.

‘Slasher’ wasn’t the only sporting legend to grace the home. Greg Norman got his start at the Virginia Golf Course across the road.

And the ‘Shark’ and fellow golfer Wayne Grady were frequent visitors to Wellington Street in those days.

But for the past seven years, the Marers have made the home their own — lovingly restoring it and adding a modern touch — all while celebrating many milestones.

“Andrew proposed to me here and we brought both of our children home from the hospital here, so it will be very sad to actually leave,” Mrs Marer said.

“But we’ve just outgrown it.”

The couple have lived in the house the entire time, even with the added challenges of Zadie, 10 months, and Lyla, 3.

“It was definitely liveable. The kitchen and bathroom were dated, but they were still liveable, which is why we were able to do it in stages,” Mrs Marer said.

“The kitchen and bathroom happened pretty quickly because we were having to go to my girlfriend’s house to shower all the time.

“And we wanted to do it before Lyla was born because we needed a bath.”

It also helped that Mr Marer, the owner of eclat building co., was a Master Builders award winner.

The kitchen and bathroom have been freshly renovated with high level finishes and quality fixtures and fittings.

Natural timber joinery and marble have been used to complement the brass and copper tapware.

The Marers made a financial decision not to raise the house, despite it not being legal height underneath.

Instead, they worked with the existing height to turn the downstairs area into a second living/ entertaining space.

They built in the area, installed wall linings, flooring, a plasterboard ceiling, and created room for a kitchenette, laundry, powder room and living room opening out to a resort-style pool.

“We just wanted to make it more usable down there,” Mrs Marer said.

They undertook a lot of landscaping to make the most of the yard space with the house being on a slightly smaller block size of 396 sqm.

Upstairs, 3.3m high ceilings are flanked by VJ walls and an open plan living area opens out on to a new deck, taking full advantage of the home’s northern aspect.

The configuration is mostly the same, apart from a few walls being knocked out to open up rooms and make the main bathroom larger.

“We tried to keep it really open,” Mrs Marer said.

Every wall and window was repainted, mostly in white and neutral cream tones, which create a light and airy feel, and complement the light timber floors and minimalistic aesthetic.

Mrs Marer admitted the style of furniture and trends had changed over the eight years since they had moved in, so staging the renovation allowed them to update some features along the way.

“When we first moved in, the furniture and decor was very different to what it is now,” she said.

“We sort of found our groove along the way.” And what do they both think of the end result?

“I guess it’s kind of a modern take on the Queenslander. Maybe more Scandi, Boho — a bit of an eclectic mix,” Mrs Marer said.

“We have transformed the house to create a more modern and open living space, while keeping a lot of the charm which has filled the home since it was built in the 1930s,” Mr Marer said.

The property is scheduled for auction on July 11 and is being marketed by Keith Mahon and Chrese Morley of Harcourts Clayfield.

RENO FACT CHECK Time taken: 7 years Total spend: About $100,000

REALESTATE

en-au

2020-06-27T07:00:00.0000000Z

2020-06-27T07:00:00.0000000Z

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