Houzz Tours
My Houzz: Caravanning Couple Find the Perfect Parking Spot
A dilapidated tin shed became the perfect home for two nature-loving retirees and their many treasures
Wendy and Dave Sproule travelled across Australia for seven years in their beloved caravan, until they finally decided to let the dust settle and build a home near the coast of New South Wales, where they could enjoy their retirement together.
The home was originally a basic tin shed built in the ’60s, with mismatched doors, windows and floorboards. “No two doors or windows were the same!” laughs Dave. Once they took ownership, the couple collaborated with clever professionals to transform the old shed into their dream home, where they now plan to spend the rest of their lives.
Houzz at a Glance:
Who lives here: Dave and Wendy Sproule
Location: Tintenbar, NSW
Size: 3 bedrooms, 1 bathroom and 2 sheds
The home was originally a basic tin shed built in the ’60s, with mismatched doors, windows and floorboards. “No two doors or windows were the same!” laughs Dave. Once they took ownership, the couple collaborated with clever professionals to transform the old shed into their dream home, where they now plan to spend the rest of their lives.
Houzz at a Glance:
Who lives here: Dave and Wendy Sproule
Location: Tintenbar, NSW
Size: 3 bedrooms, 1 bathroom and 2 sheds
It wasn’t too long after moving in that the couple’s son-in-law, Leigh Boss (who is also their builder) recommended restumping and raising the house 30-40cm, so they could put a decent sized deck on the back of the home to embrace their love of outdoor living.
Renovations commenced at the beginning of 2014, but unfortunately many of the walls and ceilings cracked during the restumping process and as the home was mostly asbestos, all of the internal linings needed to be removed. “Suddenly our ‘little reno’ became a big reno,” explains Wendy, “and the house was gutted completely only to retain the beautiful old, mixed hardwood floors that we really fell in love with.”
Dave and Wendy put their heads together with Boss to make the design decisions at each step of the transformation. Many of the other builders involved also put their ideas forward, and virtually everything this couple could ever possibly need was thought of and included.
Renovations commenced at the beginning of 2014, but unfortunately many of the walls and ceilings cracked during the restumping process and as the home was mostly asbestos, all of the internal linings needed to be removed. “Suddenly our ‘little reno’ became a big reno,” explains Wendy, “and the house was gutted completely only to retain the beautiful old, mixed hardwood floors that we really fell in love with.”
Dave and Wendy put their heads together with Boss to make the design decisions at each step of the transformation. Many of the other builders involved also put their ideas forward, and virtually everything this couple could ever possibly need was thought of and included.
“A lot of good ideas flowed back and forth,” says Dave. “Leigh would explain what options were available from a practical point of view, and give us his opinion on how that might look. We would consider this overnight and seek anyone on site for their thoughts, before a final decision was made,” he adds.
Originally the budget was quite small, because all they envisaged was replacing the old verandah with a much bigger one and building a couple of sheds. When they realised the house needed to be gutted and rebuilt with a new kitchen, bathroom, linings and fittings as well as new septic and water tanks, and a bitumen driveway – well that’s when the budget took on a life of its own. “We realised that this might be the last house we build, so decided to make it special for us,” says Wendy.
The floorplan of the original home was unchanged, apart from the addition of a front entry – seen here painted in magenta.
The beautiful tree in the front yard was originally growing where the garage needed to be built. So it was removed and transported here to the front yard, and 18 months later it is still going strong.
The beautiful tree in the front yard was originally growing where the garage needed to be built. So it was removed and transported here to the front yard, and 18 months later it is still going strong.
Both Dave and Wendy loved the original hardwood floors of the home, and the mixed colours of the timber. Due to the small size of this kitchen and living space, they decided to raise the height of the ceilings, which had to be removed anyway due to cracks and asbestos, to add a more spacious feel and bring in more light.
The raised ceilings certainly added the illusion of extra space to this front entry, while allowing floods of natural sunlight to fill the home. The wood used for the window sills came from the benchtops of the previous dwelling’s kitchen.
Many of the treasures that the couple gathered on their travels now have a place to be displayed in their new home, creating talking points throughout the property. Dave particularly loves this rain stick from Boranup Gallery that he picked up while travelling through Western Australia.
After the builders removed and raised the ceilings, the main metal truss of the home was left exposed. Boss came up with the idea of laminating the metal truss with timber from the original roof. The warmth of the wood on the truss mirrors the wooden floorboards, and adds a striking feature to an otherwise plain white space. “We really wanted the floors and ceiling truss to be the main features of the home,” says Dave. The various artworks the couple had collected on their travels could now shine on the blank canvases of the walls as additional decorative features.
This small dining table has been with Dave and Wendy since they first married and moved in together in the late ’70s. “We picked it up at an op-shop for $20,” says Wendy.
“It’s a cardinal table,” explains Dave. “Our kids told us to just get rid of it, but it’s the perfect size for the two of us and we wanted to make sure there was a place for it in the new house.”
Kitchen pendants: Byronian Lightworks; chairs: Harvey Norman
“It’s a cardinal table,” explains Dave. “Our kids told us to just get rid of it, but it’s the perfect size for the two of us and we wanted to make sure there was a place for it in the new house.”
Kitchen pendants: Byronian Lightworks; chairs: Harvey Norman
The contemporary kitchen design is by Invision Kitchens, in their ‘Tweed’ style. It’s simple elegance perfectly suits the understated aesthetic of the rest of the home, while it also provides the couple with all the storage space they desired.
Wendy and Dave decided to splurge on a few items around their newly transformed home, and this included the pendants hanging above the kitchen island and the tapware fitted throughout. “Our plumber recommended that we buy the best Australian-made taps that we could afford,” says Wendy, “to avoid hassles later down the track that cheaper taps from overseas can create.”
There are two guest bedrooms set up for the couple’s children and grandchildren when they visit. Both rooms are on the western side of the home.
More colourful artwork is found in this guest room, along with a single bed and baby’s cot. A few of the canvasses were made by the kids. It’s the perfect spot for one of Dave and Wendy’s five grandchildren to stay.
The second guest room provides a comfortable stay for the couple’s grown children and their respective partners.
The bathroom is located a few short steps from Dave and Wendy’s bedroom, on the eastern side of the home. A larger family-friendly bathroom and separate toilet was built in the nearby garage for their visitors to use, so that there is no waiting around or line ups.
Wendy has used a coastal theme for the colour palette in the main bedroom. The painting is by local artist Mark Waller, a new addition which was purchased for Wendy’s birthday.
Bedlinen: KAS
The impressive deck is really where most of the couple’s everyday living takes place.
“We really don’t cook inside very often,” says Dave. Their routine is much the same as when they are caravanning – spending most of their time outdoors and only heading inside when it’s time to go to bed.
The cabinetry was also made by Invision Kitchens, and they suggested using marine-grade fittings to best handle the outdoor weather conditions.
The cabinetry was also made by Invision Kitchens, and they suggested using marine-grade fittings to best handle the outdoor weather conditions.
Because Dave and Wendy spend so much time on their deck, they decided to also spend the extra money and have electric blinds installed. Again this was a decision that happened as the build progressed.
“The blinds were really a luxury item for us,” says Dave, “but we are so happy we decided to get them installed. They provide great shade, without interrupting the views.”
“The blinds were really a luxury item for us,” says Dave, “but we are so happy we decided to get them installed. They provide great shade, without interrupting the views.”
Dave and Wendy spend a lot of time in the garden, and the backyard is wonderfully green and very relaxing to stroll around. Dave says it also provides the grandchildren with plenty of fun spots to play during their visits.
The shed that was built to be used as the garage can be seen here. Dave also has an outdoor shower rigged at the back, which he says is really refreshing after a day of gardening.
Along with the fully-grown tree in the front yard, Dave also has a great collection of bonsai trees that he regularly tends to, growing outside the shed.
There is even a perfectly sized fire pit behind the garage for night-time gatherings around the campfire. The pavers around the pit were all recycled from the outdoor area of the original home.
The garage is exceptionally spacious and also houses the laundry and a second bathroom, made especially for the couple’s family and friends who regularly visit.
The toilet, vanity and shower room are all separate spaces in the garage, which works well when the whole family comes to visit. “We actually based the design and layout on the style of bathrooms we often come across at caravan parks,” explains Wendy. “They are really practical spaces.”
‘Dave’s Shed’, as it’s referred to, is on the southern end of the block. This is where they park their van and store the camping gear, mower and Dave’s tools.
Boss suggested building a mezzanine inside the shed to provide extra storage room, and also to create a workshop corner for Dave to tinker away in.
Dave’s workshop area showcases some of his treasured collectibles, as well as a few watercolour paintings he did when they lived in Port Macquarie.
He also uses his workshop area to make unique toys and trinkets. Dave has a lot of gemstones and small sapphires that the pair picked up during their travels to Sapphire in North Queensland. The stones that are too small to facet are kept and turned into all sorts of creations.
This toy Chevy is just like Dave’s own full-sized one. He adds the stones to the trailer, with one faceted gem in the centre, before giving one to each of the grandkids.
My Houzz is an ongoing series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes in Australia and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more inspiring projects.
This toy Chevy is just like Dave’s own full-sized one. He adds the stones to the trailer, with one faceted gem in the centre, before giving one to each of the grandkids.
My Houzz is an ongoing series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes in Australia and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more inspiring projects.
When they first saw the listing for a ‘cosy cottage’ on an acre of land at the end of 2013, it seemed to tick a lot of boxes. While the so-called cottage needed renovating, they would have enough land to build a big shed for their caravan, as well as a smaller shed for their two cars. Plus they could add on an extra bathroom, a spacious laundry and still leave plenty of room for their other travelling friends with vans to come and stay.