Backyard blitz goes viral

Like many homeowners, Kate and Shane Hammond used the COVID-19 shutdown to renovate – transforming their pool area and painting the house.

The work started earlier this year, following a consultation with Nicola Murray from She Creates.co in late December.

It began with the back wall, painting the pool fence white and adding a feature wall.

Kate says they made good progress, but the COVID-19 shutdown enabled her to focus on finishing the job instead of chipping away at it – one hour here and there on weekends.

“During the COVID thing, I had no work and I needed something else. I thought this is the perfect time to finish the pool area and create another revenue stream,” Kate explains.

She styles photo shoots for small to medium-sized businesses wanting images for their websites. Now the area has been finished, she can stage these at home instead of having to find a location elsewhere.

“COVID meant I could take it to the next stage and see what else I could do outside that initial thought,” she says.

What they did

Just before the shutdown, Kate and Shane stocked up on supplies they’d need for the renovation and homewares to complete the look. They also bought plants to revive the gardens.

Kate says, before she knew it, she was on a roll and had started reno projects inside including the laundry and bathrooms.

The concept they’ve run with is big, bright and bold – Nicola’s vision which has delivered a stunning transformation.

Standout features are a large green feature wall and white timber fence with brightly-coloured leaves.

Other elements such as improved gardens and new furniture are more subtle, but combine to deliver a stylish, inviting and functional space.

Kate and Shane did all the work themselves, saving thousands in labour costs.

“It’s the satisfaction that I’ve done it myself … I’ll give hubby a little bit of credit,” she says laughing.

The mother-of-three bought the leaf stencils from K-Mart, took them to OfficeWorks to get them enlarged, and spent hours cutting them out, ready to paint.

Creating the green wall was the trickiest part – ensuring it was positioned perfectly and was big enough to create that ‘wow factor’.

Creating an oasis

“I love sitting here. My kids love it too. It’s the peace and quiet. It is a big transformation to what we used to have,” Kate says.

“In the morning, it’s peaceful. We often have breakfast out here. I can’t wait for summer now. It’s an inviting space. I want people to come and enjoy it … friends and family.”