'It gave me confidence': Where to learn the skills to ace your next renovation project

Let’s be honest, who hasn’t been inspired to pull up the shagpile and attack a tin of Taubmans after watching The Block?

We are a nation of home renovators. The promise of discovering a dream home hidden under yellowing wallpaper or creating an urban oasis by demolishing a wall here or there, is almost a national sport.

But whether it’s choosing the paint palette, fittings or furniture, or designing a dream home from scratch, the experts agree that arming yourself with knowledge before you attack the tools, is the best investment you’ll ever make.

“Shows like The Block have sparked a huge amount of interest in renovating, but television makes it look much easier than it is and you really can’t do a room in seven days!” says Rebeka Morgan who co-founded the BuildHer Collective with business partner Kribashini Hannon.

After hearing more and more tales of renos gone wrong, Hannon and Morgan, veterans of the construction industry, were inspired to create BuildHer, which offers online courses and mentoring for women in everything from kick-starting a kitchen reno to partnering on major development.

“We were hearing horror stories of people who’d had terrible, expensive experiences,” Morgan says, “I think we have this idea that if we see it on television, we can give it a go too; what could possibly go wrong?”

“But what you don’t see is the preparation, planning and processes that need to happen before you ever pick up a hammer. In real life, we don’t want all of the drama we see on screen, we want the project to be a smooth and enjoyable journey that delivers the best possible outcome.”

What began as a passion project for Morgan and Hannon to encourage women into the construction industry they love, has blossomed into a building behemoth, with a podcast, sold-out masterclasses, online course for every pathway to creating the perfect home, a stunning coffee table book, which has become a bible for building, and of course, a huge following on Instagram.

“Women ask ‘can I renovate?’ and my answer is, ‘can you get two kids out the door by 9am to school?’ Yes, you can renovate, because women are great at doing the multitasking and multi-planning that goes into renovating. Traditionally, building is thought of as a man’s world but it’s far from it; generally, women are the homemakers, the ones who nurture and create the sense of home for a family and women are incredibly well suited to project management.”

In 2020, the Housing Industry Association predicted the value of home renovations in Australia would skyrocket to $36 billion and that was before the COVID-19 lockdowns suddenly gave us time at home to patch, paint and repair.

In the wake of the DIY wave, there’s now a plethora of online courses available, teaching everything from the art of cushion placement to the tips and tricks of flipping, mastering a reno or building a dream home.

Maddie Tippens is a BuildHer graduate. After the young mum of two welcomed surprise twins to the family in 2017, her two-bedroom Northcote home was suddenly bursting at the seams.

When Tippens and her partner were relegated to sleeping on a sofa in the lounge room, she decided to take action. She began with a one-day BuildHer course to work out how to get the best out of their home for sale, and the impact was profound.

“As a result of the course, our home sold significantly over our asking price and we were able to buy a home on a much larger lot nearby. There’s no way in a million years I would’ve ever purchased the house I’m currently living in prior to BuildHer. It was ugly, mouldy, and dark. In fact, it was probably unliveable, but the course gave me the confidence that I could help turn the mouldy house into a really fantastic light-filled space on a tight budget, which we did.”

Lana Taylor of Three Birds Renovations says budding renovators, from every corner the world, are signing up for their hugely popular online renovation course.

“You’re taking a big risk embarking on a major reno or build without upskilling yourself on what you need to know and what you need to avoid in order to get your dream home,” Taylor says.

“There are so many moving parts and the stakes are high. There’s often a lot of money involved and many of the decisions you make cannot be easily changed.

“You’re about to make one of the biggest decisions of your life. You will spend more money than you ever have before (possibly your life savings) and you will literally have to live with the consequences – good or bad. If your renovating experience is a positive one and you end up with a home you love, at a price you can afford, you will have no regrets and feel deeply satisfied and happy that you made all the right decisions for you and your family.”

BuildHer courses start from $149 and range up to $1997 depending on your needs, and the Three Birds Renovations six-week online Reno School will set you back $849 and their four-week styling school around $499. Three Birds Renovations is so popular the ladies now broadcast their own on-demand TV show.

But there are other, more cost-effective, courses available too.

The Council of Adult Education offers classes teaching the basics of interior design, redesigning a living space, even gardening and landscaping for around $299. And TAFE can offer a Certificate in Interior Decoration, which is eligible for the Government’s JobTrainer subsidy.

Rebeka Morgan says you can learn a lot even in a short time and being armed before you begin the process, no matter how big or small the project, is the key to success.

“We want people to understand the process and principles up front to avoid the pitfalls, and part of that is knowing what you can do and when to call the experts.

“A well-thought-out home can take a lot of stress out of our lives and bring us a lot of joy. That’s what we empower others to achieve.”