I bought a house on the Internet

Last year we bought a house sight unseen on the Internet on the opposite side of the country. What we knew was that it was easy walking distance to the beach and had sea views from most of the rooms. We also knew it needed work but until we actually flew across the country and was handed the keys, we had no idea of the scale of the work required. I could tell by the way friends looked at me that they wondered what I had done.

It was literally one of those sea change moments when tired of living on Australia’s high density Gold Coast, we wanted a return to spacious West Australia with its blue skies and pristine beaches. In terms of location the house did not disappoint, but the scale of the work required to fix it has been daunting, particularly as it is so hard to get tradesmen to show up even to give a quote.

Arriving in my hire car to pick up the keys. I had not seen inside yet.

The house was built in 1993 which is considered old in Australia. I have always lived in character homes that offered a challenge and this fitted the bill. I didn’t realise until I went inside how much work (time and money) needed to be poured into it.
We moved in April 2025 and were blessed with an extended summer period which allowed us to paint the outside before the rains set in.

Follow for updates on this restoration project.