Looking for a blank canvas? The best renovators around the country

Are you itching to get cracking on your next renovation project? On the hunt for a diamond in the rough to polish back up to its original glory?

While a major renovation project is a serious undertaking, casting about to see what’s up for offer might spark some inspiration.

Here are eight homes on the market in need of a makeover:

82 Gray Street, Kogarah, NSW
Auction

This original three-bedroom home on 420 square metres is a block back from the Princes Highway, with the TAFE, train station and hospital all walkable. Monterey Beach is about a 15-minute walk in the other direction.

There have been no house sales on Gray Street this year. Described in the listing as a “in need of an immediate renovation”, the “virtual blank canvas” at number 82 is up for auction on Saturday 26th October, at 3pm.

53 Morrison Road, Gladesville, NSW 
Auction

Also in Sydney – Gladesville, to be precise – this 626-square-metre block is “a great site [on which] to make a new statement”.

It’s home to an original two-bedder in a dilapidated condition, with a fairly overgrown yard, judging by the photos. Records show that it changed hands in July last year for $1.335 million.

Several blocks back from Victoria Road and a short walk from the water and Glades Bay park, the “dilapidated old property” goes up for auction on Saturday, October 19, at 4.30pm.

134 Darebin Road, Northcote, VIC
Contact agent

In the hip inner-northern neighbourhood of Northcote, this straight-up “unliveable” home is on a pretty impressive 972-square-metre block.

It’s within walking distance of Northcote Plaza and All Nations Park, with High Street about a 10-minute stroll up the road.

With records showing it last sold for $1 million in 2013, the home is open for inspection this Saturday, 5th October, at 2.30pm.

3 Leslie Street, St Kilda East, VIC
$720,000 – $790,000

This original character residence in Melbourne’s south-east last changed hands back in 1991, for $110,000.

The free-standing Victorian terrace has two bedrooms and original timber floors, and is, according to the listing, a “perfect blank canvas for creative renovators”.

It’s up for auction on Saturday, October 19, at 10.30am.

13 Horatio St, Annerley QLD
Offers over $649,000

This colonial home, on a nearly 400-square-metre block, has plenty of its original features visible.  Already raised, it has a wraparound deck, three bedrooms, 12-foot ceilings and timber floors.

It’s about six kilometres from the city, with Yeronga Station a short stroll away. Records show the home sold for $830,000 in May, 2018.

58 Chauncey Street, Lancefield, VIC
Auction

If you’re in the market for a country fixer-upper, this three-bedroom weatherboard original home in the Macedon Shire – which has “seen better days” – is up for offer on a 6146-square-metre block.

Across the road from the reserve, the home is also within walking distance of the primary schools, with the shops a 15-minute stroll away. The Melbourne CBD is about an hour’s drive.

Expected to sell for between $515,000 and $570,000, the home will be auctioned at 11.30am, Saturday, October 5.

62 Great Western Hwy, Mount Victoria, NSW
$405,000

This original 1950s three-bedder is tucked away on a big 1349 square metre block, surrounded by overgrown gardens on the western side of the Blue Mountains.

While – as the listing notes – the house is “very tired”, it does have quite a new bathroom, as well as some of its original features and a “practical layout”.

It’s a short walk to the school, shops, and train station, and records show it last sold for $239,000 in 2003.

765 Ingleby Road, Winchelsea VIC
Expressions of Interest

And finally – for more ambitious renovators – there’s this epic historic bluestone home, on a whopping 339 acres about an hour and a half from Melbourne.

Built in 1861, Ingleby is a National Trust-listed,  “landmark farming property” with four kilometres of river frontage. It’s not going to be a quick coat of paint, though. The listing notes that the home” requires a significant restoration project to bring it back to former glory.”