WHY RENO SCHOOL IS THE COURSE THAT KEEPS ON GIVING
Longtime Reno School student Kate Potter first caught our eye when the renovation of her character cottage ‘Maisie’ won top prize at the Building Designers Association of Australia Awards in 2019. Not only did her clever creation take out first place in its category, but it also beat out large commercial-scale projects to take overall first prize in the Greater Sydney Chapter Awards!
Jump forward three years, and Kate popped back into the Reno School Facebook group to tell us that she was in the thick of another renovation… this time as a dynamic duo, with fellow Reno Schooler Suzette Halliwell.
Kate and Suzette met at a renovation event in Sydney, and got chatting. Next minute Suzette offered Kate a ride home and, by the time they got to Kate’s house, Suzette had suggested they team up and flip a house together. Kate jumped at the chance. We know that birds of a feather flock together, so it made perfect sense that these hit it off when they met. They started planning that day and haven’t looked back. In fact, they’ve now renovated and sold three properties together!
Kate joined Three Birds Reno School as a seasoned renovator, knowing that there’s always more to learn. Since then she has completed FOUR more projects, including her joint projects with Suzette. #busybee
PROJECT ONE: AWARD-WINNING ‘MAISIE’
Kate and her hubby bought this gorgeous little cottage in Thirroul, south of Sydney, with the intention of renovating it to live in themselves, but as the renovation progressed, they realised that the daily commute to Sydney was going to be a deal-breaker.
They continued with the renovation, transforming the outdated two-bedroom cottage into a functional four-bedroom home, whilst maintaining the old-world charm.
This little cottage was steeped with history and many potential buyers were viewing it with the intention of knocking it down. One of the things that got the sale over the line for the Potters, was their commitment to the family of the previous owner to renovate rather than rebuild. Kate named the cottage ‘Maisie’ in honour of the previous owner who raised five children in the two-bedroom cottage.
PROJECT 2: MAYFIELD
Kate has a background in project management and teaming up with Suzette, an experienced bookkeeper, made for a dream team when it came to the planning and execution of their project. They combined their skills, finances and time to create a joint venture which meant working in their day jobs was still achievable while managing their new project from start to finish.
Despite living close to each other in Sydney, the girls chose to purchase a property two hours away in Newcastle, due to its affordability compared to their local area. They engaged a local buyer’s agent who had helped previous clients to purchase similar character cottages to renovate. She helped them find ‘Mayfield’.
The objective of the project was primarily a quick flip for profit, but the girls concentrated on balancing the budget to add value, flow and beauty without skimping on key issues such as rewiring, fixing the roof and replacing gutters and downpipes - all those non-sexy budget-burning things that some flippers may overlook. It was important for them to present a quality home to the market they could be proud of.
The plans for the renovation kept within the footprint of the original house, but the layout was reconfigured to add a main bedroom, ensuite, open plan living with a new kitchen and separate laundry. An ugly undercover indoor/outdoor back area was also converted into a second living area.
We think the girls may have achieved a joint venture renovation speed record - Kate and Suzette met in December, worked out the details of their JV in January and started work in February. The reno itself was completed in 12 weeks. #norestforthewicked
PRoJECT 3: ROMA
AFTER: Facade
Off the back of the success of their 'Mayfield’ flip, Kate and Suzette jumped straight back into the Newcastle property market and embarked on a four-month renovation of another character cottage. With another super cute name! She’s named ‘Roma’ after the previous elderly owner of the property.
This time they transformed the facade to add street appeal by adding a cute verandah whilst keeping the beautiful Frangipani trees which frame the front door.
They completely modernised the home, with fresh new paint, two gorgeous new bathrooms a beautiful open plan kitchen and living area.
And guess what? ‘Roma’ even got the tick of approval from her previous owner and namesake, who returned from her nursing home for the viewing. She was so thrilled that her former home had been restored with love by Kate and Suzette, rather than bowled by a developer as she’d feared.
PROJECT 4: LOVELY LILLIBET
After a brief break, Kate and Suzette bought a property in Elizabeth Street, Newcastle, and named her ‘Lillibet’. A nod to Queen Elizabeth II, inspired by the street’s name.
With their tried and true flipping formula perfected, they worked to add value to the property by updating the rooms throughout the home with new paint and window coverings, they sanded the original timber floorings and modernised two bathrooms and the kitchen.
WE ASKED KATE HOW RENO SCHOOL HELPED HER PROJECTS:
I’d renovated before I did the Reno School course and I’ve also done other renovation courses. While I found the other courses great in terms of technical content, I never found a style that I connected with. Until I discovered the Three Birds.
The thing that made the Three Birds Reno School stand out from the rest was the focus on the importance of articulating a vision for my project. I learnt why having a vision is so important, how to create my own vision board, specific to my renovation, and the constant reminders to keep checking back to it, to remain true to my vision.
That, and the inspiration that Bonnie, Erin and Lana give me for what you can do as a woman in this field, without being a builder or a tradie. They’ve shown it’s possible to be the visionary and the project manager to bring renovation projects to life.
In terms of design, you’ll see lots of things in our cottage reno that are a direct influence from the Three Birds. Like the study nook, inspired by Lana’s butler’s office and the five glorious skylights.
Whenever I need a boost of motivation and inspiration, I’ll watch a few episodes of Three Birds house reveals online or flick back through the Reno School modules. They’re so beautifully presented it’s not a chore to do so.
I was hesitant about posting about ‘Maisie’ in the Facebook group at first but next thing, I had more than 200 likes from fellow students and so many positive comments. The validation from other students made me feel really proud about what I’ve achieved… and inspired me to want to do it all again!
WHAT’S NEXT? WATCH THIS SPACE!
You can follow these clever chicks on Instagram: @renos_by_kateandsuzette
We can’t wait to see what they get up to next!
Whether you’re planning a ‘one and done’ forever home renovation, a ‘just for now’ home with plans to renovate or build again in the future or to ‘flip and forget’ again and again, Three Birds Reno School is the course that keeps on giving. When you sign up, you’ll get lifetime access to the course so you can refer to it and retake it anytime you wish, immediate access to the supplier discounts so that you can start saving from Day 1, and the support of over 20,000 students, including many repeat renovators like Kate and Suzette, who are ready and willing to share their knowledge.
