Partnering with one of Canberra's most experienced builders and home renovation experts made transforming this 1970s home a dream.
Lydia Desmet had heard plenty of tradie horror stories before she embarked on the full renovation of her family's four-bedroom 1970s Canberra home. But while she was filled with nervous anticipation ahead of the moment when the work would begin, she had no worries about the smooth operation of the project and the quality of the final result.
Five years earlier, Ms Desmet and her husband had added a new kitchen to their previous home, enlisting a long-time Canberra firm TradeWise Renovations, with owner Angelo Nardi at the helm, to manage the project. So happy was she with the process and the high standard of the company's work that she didn't hesitate in engaging Mr Nardi and his team to look after her next and much bigger project, this time including a new kitchen, bathroom, laundry, en suite and flooring.
"With our first renovation I reached out to quite a few different trades and had them come through - it was a bit stressful trying to make the decision about who would be best to choose," she said. "But from the get-go when Angelo came to our house we could tell he was a serious builder with lots of experience who would actually manage the entire process. The whole renovation went so well that when we moved here and wanted to do a full house renovation I didn't call anyone else. I felt very comfortable going into this one."
A Family Affair in Building
Building is a family affair for Mr Nardi. He comes from a family of Canberra builders and tradesmen and today works alongside his son Adenn, and daughter Zoe in his business. Angelo is a qualified carpenter who, early in his career, was involved in the building and construction of new homes in the Canberra region. He then moved on to working in the joinery and cabinet-making sector, where he developed skills in kitchen design, sales and construction. After working in both residential and commercial construction, he chose to focus on residential renovations.
Adenn came from a plumbing background before joining his father in the renovation business and completing a Certificate IV in building and construction. He also has extensive experience in carpentry and cabinetry installations and has worked on various projects from small to high-end homes as well as large developments. He oversees the company's on-site teams.
Zoe manages the administrative side of the business as well as senior design consultant overseeing the company's in-house design team. She's also the consistent point of contact for clients throughout each project.
Preserving Character, Adding Modern Comfort
In a full-circle situation, many of the homes Mr Nardi is now renovating were actually some he helped to build when he was starting out as an apprentice carpenter 40 years ago. His decision to pivot his own business to specialising in renovations 11 years ago was largely driven by his appreciation for Canberra's older homes and a desire to preserve their character.
"What we really love doing is taking these old Canberra homes, from the 1950s, 60s and 70s and keeping the charm of the older home while also giving it the modern touches and conveniences that families need today, that works for their lifestyle," he said. "Renovating older homes can come with particular challenges but we're very knowledgeable in this area, so there are really no surprises for us. We have a strong team of tradespeople and sub-contractors - plumbers, electricians, plasterers, painters, tilers and carpenters - many who we've worked with for more than ten years - who are very experienced and aligned with our high standards of workmanship. We also have strong relationships with many of Canberra's leading suppliers."
Communication: The Heart of Stress-Free Renovation
At the heart of TradeWise's ability to deliver a renovation process that is free of worry for their customers is their commitment to communication. Mr Nardi said the family had always made focusing on their customers a key part of the service they delivered. "We really pride ourselves on our ability to work so collaboratively with our clients to completely understand their vision and then be able to deliver on that vision," he said. "At the start I go and see them to have a look at the house and understand the work they want to do; I get a precise idea of what they're after, and the way they are going to use the different spaces so I'm able to talk through their options and the kinds of possibilities I can see."
Ms Desmet said Mr Nardi's experience and ability to translate their ideas into reality meant that from the first discussion to the end the process was "seamless". "Right from the start, with the initial consultation when Angelo came to our house and we talked through our plans and ideas he was just so easy to talk to, he understood completely what we wanted to do and was able to give us great suggestions for how to make our home work even better for us," said Ms Desmet. "He asked us lots of questions about how we wanted to use the space and with the benefit of all his experience, really everything just fell into place so easily, even some of the bigger changes we made. We completely redesigned the kitchen from this really uninviting galley where I couldn't see the children playing to this beautiful open space, and I wanted a nice entry hall so you didn't just walk straight into a room. Angelo checked the beams and said, 'Yep I can do that.' And he had such good ideas for storage and how to make things work better - things we hadn't thought of."
"It was a massive project but he managed everything. Plus all through the process he kept us informed about everything that was going on. If we had any questions we only had to call and they would be straight back to us. It was just really seamless."
To find out more, visit TradeWise Renovations or call 5112 2969.
