20 australiancountry.net.au
AT HOME IN THE COUNTRY
looming, Matt and Jules soon realised that the hay shed
would become their temporary home while the main
house was under construction. “We weren’t able to live
among the renovations as we’d thought and we couldn’t
move out or go back to Clermont, so our only option was
to fix up the barracks first,” Jules says. “We got to work
turning it into a two-bedroom cottage. I sourced everything
from Gumtree and Buy Swap Sell and bought a Bunnings
kitchen, and we furnished it for $500.” It made a cosy home
for the family in the months that followed, as Jules learned
the ropes of renovation between school drop-off s and
errands. “There were lots of tricky obstacles along the way
and, being by myself for most of the build, I had to make a
lot of decisions on the fl y,” she says. “It was quite daunting
but all our tradies were brilliant and worked with me to
get exactly what we wanted.” When Matt was home, there
wasn’t much time for rest and relaxation. “Matt is really
handy and we have done a lot of the decorative finishes on
the house ourselves,” Jules adds. “He did the gorgeous trim
around the laundry door and kitchen window. He’s also
taught me how to use a drop saw and built some shelves
and hooks.”
As renovation bills mounted, Jules put her bargain
hunting to the test again and has managed to create aClockwise
from above:
One of the first
tasks was installing
a staircase; Jules
has been restoring
furniture since
her 20s; French
doors connect
the living area
with the veranda;
a repurposed
preserving jar.