Pete and Mark transform a derelict old house into their dream home

Discovering your perfect home in a great location in Sydney can sometimes seem a dream too big for families due to the rising land costs and the increasing population in the urban wonderland. However, for new homeowners Pete and Mark, buying and knocking down an old home in a popular suburb in Sydney, and replacing it with a brand new McDonald Jones home was a more affordable and smoother process then they initially thought.

The original house in their suburban Western Sydney location, described by Mark as “a dump”, was demolished and the site now proudly holds a stunning three bedroom, two bathroom home in our Douglas 10m design, a popular choice from our price busting GenOne Collection.

“I brought the old house back in 2002 and from the moment I laid eyes on it I hated the place. I was always just grateful that it stood up long enough for us to pull it down,” Mark admits.

“One day my partner Pete said to me ‘we might need a new stove’ and I said what we need is a new house. It was on that day that we saw the McDonald Jones commercial featuring Scott Cam on television and started looking at their website.”

The couple’s journey of transforming an old home in the area they love is common in the inner residential arc of Sydney, and the sweeping trend of knock down rebuilds has led to entire suburbs being transformed. The most important thing for the couple was the location and they were determined to build a home that both suited their narrow block and their lifestyle; for them the Douglas was the perfect match.

“We fell in love with the Douglas and were able to reverse the floor plan and raise the ceiling height to suit us; for a small home it really is packed with a lot of wow factors,” Mark said.

“Our home is quite unique in the area because everything around us is built with timber frames, and ours is steel. As soon as I saw that McDonald Jones built with steel frames I knew I wasn’t going to look any further. That peace of mind of building with steel in an area where there are lots of termites is great.”

Mark and Pete are in the process of receiving the keys and preparing to move into their brand new home, and they couldn’t be happier with the experience and the quality of the build.

“We have never done anything like this before and we can’t believe that at this stage in our life we decided to build – but we did it!” Mark said.

“Pete and I are the biggest ambassadors for McDonald Jones; we want to see more of their homes going up as they have been a fantastic company to deal with. I hope we never have to build again, but if we do it will be with McDonald Jones.”

Mark and Pete have kept an online diary of their build that they hope will inspire and motivate others, and provide insight on the process.
view their blog to find out more

If you would like more information on a knock down rebuild with McDonald Jones, contact us on 1300 555 382.