If you’d told us a year ago we’d be spending our weekends ripping out concrete garden beds, pulling tree stumps from the ground and wondering why on earth someone thought cork flooring was a good idea, we probably would have laughed.

Yet here we are.

Welcome to Oliva House.

This little house is our biggest project yet and, hopefully, the beginning of something really special.

Like so many people trying to buy in South East Queensland’s crazy property market, we quickly realised we couldn’t afford the beautifully renovated homes in the suburbs we wanted to live in. So instead, we bought the house that everyone else walked past.

It wasn’t glamorous.

It had been rented for years, the gardens had completely taken over, kitchen cupboard doors were hanging off their hinges, the carpet had seen better days (a long time ago), and yes… it even had cork floors throughout the house.

Most people saw problems.

We saw potential.

We both love renovating, and while this is definitely the biggest challenge we’ve taken on together, we also know the best homes aren’t always the ones that start out beautiful. Sometimes they’re the ones that simply need someone willing to put in the work.

That’s exactly what this blog is about.

We’ll be sharing every stage of the renovation – the wins, the mistakes, the budget-friendly DIY projects, the jobs we probably should have paid someone else to do, and hopefully the transformation of a tired old rental into a home we’re genuinely proud of.

We’ve named our home Oliva, inspired by our love of Spain and the timeless simplicity of Mediterranean homes. An olive tree symbolises peace, resilience and longevity, which feels fitting for a house that’s getting a second chance. While we aren’t creating a full Spanish-style home, you’ll notice subtle European influences woven throughout the renovation – from natural textures and warm finishes to thoughtful landscaping and little design details that remind us of places we love.

Not everything will happen overnight.

Some projects will take months. Others will probably take much longer than we’d like. We’ll be doing as much of the work ourselves as we can, learning as we go, making plenty of mistakes along the way, and sharing it all honestly.

Because if there’s one thing we’ve learnt already, it’s that renovating isn’t just about creating a beautiful house.

It’s about creating a home.

Thanks for following along. We can’t wait to show you where Oliva House goes from here..