Jordana Henry, artist and co-owner of Yeah Nice Gallery, wasn’t initially sold on buying a rundown farm shack in Broken Head. ‘To be honest, I wasn’t too keen on the idea at first. Being pregnant and all wasn’t the greatest time to move and begin a renovation!’ she says.
Despite these initial hesitations, her partner Troy Wilkinson, builder and owner of Twil Constructions, had a clear picture of what the space could be, so they set about transforming the house before the arrival of their daughter Minty (now 3 years old).
‘The house had good bones and a great character that we wanted to keep, so we painted the inside and outside, put in a new kitchen, en suite, servery window, decks, renovated the pool, built a two-bedroom studio on the property, put in an outdoor bath and shower… the list goes on!’ says Jordana.
Over this period the couple quickly grew to love the home’s location, which is out of the hustle and bustle, but still close enough to the bush, beach, and Troy’s favourite surf spots.
An unexpected element of the renovations (which were all done by Troy) was discovering more about the property’s history. ‘We found hundreds of old beer bottles stored under the house from the ‘70s,’ recalls Jordana. ‘This began my investigation into the history of our home and property, where I discovered that a local surfing legend built our home in the ‘70s, and it was a bit of a hippy commune and place to shape surfboards with some big time names!’
Jordana and Troy’s house today is a far cry from how it appeared four years ago, but the property continues to evolve to this day. ‘It’s a constant work in progress both on the inside of the house and through the 3.5 acres of property,’ Jordana says. ‘I’m currently studying architecture and my partner is a builder, so we are constantly coming up with home improvements.’
Jordana has come to learn this is all part of the renovating process. She explains, ‘You come to accept that it’s the journey and the slow, thoughtful adjustments that forever grow my appreciation for our home and the land it’s on.
We must say – the house already looks pretty perfect to us!
