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Easy in-store ReturnsA modern living room refresh with a fireplace to match
From dull and dated to fresh and modern, find out how a Mornington Peninsula couple gave their living room a new lease on life.
Homeowners: Wayne and Kate Beckwith
Location: Mornington Peninsula, Victoria
The project: Living room feature wall and fireplace hearth
The budget: Approximately $4500
Wayne’s top tip for renovators: “Work within your limitations and, most importantly, within building guidelines. You might think this is your forever home but there will come a time to sell, and everything needs to be structurally sound.”
Homeowners Wayne and Kate Beckwith purchased their ’70s-era home on the Victorian coast with the idea of modernising its looks and layout.
“Since the living room is one space we spend a lot of time in, that was one of the first projects,” says Wayne. “But because of the extent of what was required, it was done in stages, as some parts would impact neighbouring spaces.”
The plan
A dusty and dated solid-brick fireplace hearth and oddly angled floor plan were restricting the room’s functionality, so Wayne came up with a multi-pronged plan to rejuvenate the area. It involved modernising the shape of the hearth, tiling the entire surround and adding a floating shelf, while the angled wall would be demolished and replaced with a decorative timber-panelled feature wall.
“I started with an idea in my head, which I probably saw on the internet, and for me that’s where the plans take shape – they get worked on during sleepless nights thinking of how best to handle what is needed with each step,” says Wayne. “Often my designs are moving targets as I come up with new ideas along the way.”
The build
All up, the living room renovation took around nine months to complete and coincided with other projects in the same vicinity. As a seasoned renovator who has shared lots of projects with the Bunnings community, Wayne did the majority of the work himself. He used a hammer drill, hand chisels and a sledgehammer to remove the unwanted brickwork – “full-body PPE is a must during this process!” he says – built a new frame for the fireplace surround and floating hearth and tackled all of the tiling.
A blacksmith mate of Wayne’s manufactured a custom steel fireplace fascia with a built-in ash drawer, and to finish it all off, Wayne installed the timber screen, which he made from pine batons.
“Bunnings has since brought out premade acoustic panelling in three finishes, which would have been far cheaper and a job done in about one hour!” Wayne laughs.
The final result
Wayne reckons he added another quarter of useable area to the living room, which helped create more flexibility for furniture placement and opened the space up to the natural light.
“It’s a great area for relaxing and watching TV, enjoying the open fire and listening to music,” he says. “Anyone who had seen the previous home can’t believe it’s the same room. It’s become a talking-point feature and added huge value to our home.”
More from Wayne and Workshop
To see more projects like Wayne’s living room and his clever laundry makeover, visit the Bunnings Workshop community.
More D.I.Y. Advice
Asbestos, lead-based paints and copper chromium arsenic (CCA) treated timber are health hazards you need to look out for when renovating older homes. These substances can easily be disturbed when renovating and exposure to them can cause a range of life-threatening diseases and conditions including cancer. For information on the dangers of asbestos, lead-based paint and CCA treated timber and tips for dealing with these materials contact your local council's Environmental Health Officer or visit our Health & Safety page.
When following our advice in our D.I.Y. videos, make sure you use all equipment, including PPE, safely by following the manufacturer’s instructions. Check that the equipment is suitable for the task and that PPE fits properly. If you are unsure, hire an expert to do the job or talk to a Bunnings Team Member.