Rique Romero and her husband, Peter Bell, purchased an old, Federation-style home four years ago. The building was termite-ridden, and had to be demolished to the foundations with only a couple of walls retained. The plans for the renovation were drawn up by an architect and approved by council, but due to budget constraints Rique took over as owner/builder and project manager. She obtained all the quotes, ordered the materials and supervised the work, as well as being hole digger, painter and renderer. Peter and Rique designed and helped construct many of the features in the house themselves. This hands-on approach to renovation was fun and also saved them a lot of money.

Living with colour

The idea of painting the house in vibrant colours is a daunting prospect for many people, but not for Rique. She studied interior decorating for two years, loves being surrounded by bright colours and knows how to use them well. She used mostly Murobond paints (Murowash Rubine Red, Murowash Magenta, Murowash Aubergine and Murobond Corsica) for the interior, including a golden yellow called Murowash Saffron, which gives the house extra warmth and light. The exterior doors were painted lime green (Dulux Weathershield X10). Rique said that the 'Harbour Bridge' paint on the stair railings (Dulux Ferrador 810) contains metal filings and was difficult to apply, but the spectacular result made it all worthwhile.

Picture postcard

Rique designed the back garden with the help of Ken Lamb, from Imperial Gardens in Sydney. It was created as a picture to be seen from the house. Golden cane palms (Dypsis lutescens) have been used for privacy, both in pots on the upper deck and at the back of the black-tiled pool. Don was impressed by an adventurous hedge of lemon-scented myrtle (Backhousia citriodora). This lovely Australian native tree has glossy leaves, which have a strong, lemon fragrance when bruised.

Further information

The garden was designed with the help of:

Ken Lamb
Imperial Gardens Landscape Pty Ltd
PO Box 200
Terrey Hills NSW 2084
Phone: (02) 9450 2455
Fax: (02) 9450 2714

Paint details:

Murobond paint is available Australia wide. For your closest outlet contact Murobond Coatings, phone (02) 9906 7299, fax (02) 9439 7593. The doors were painted with Dulux Weathershield X10 - the lime green colour was mixed from the Dulux Master Palette and is code: 70YY52/532. Dulux Ferrador 810 contains micaceous iron oxide and costs $84 for 4 litres.

For more information on Rique and Peter's house, see the July 2002 edition of the Burke's Backyard Magazine, available at newsagents for $4.95.

Copyright CTC Productions 2002