Winter arrives in Drysdale

SANDI and David Simons have spent more than 30 years in their family home, sprawled across about three hectares in Drysdale. They’ve raised five children and welcomed a myriad of guests through the doors, most recently the Selling Houses Australia team.
The popular Lifestyle channel series saw host Andrew Winter, interior designer Shaynna Blaze and landscaper Charlie Albone arrive in October, to transform the historic three-bedroom cottage.
“We don’t know who nominated us for the series, maybe one of our friends or clients. We just received a phone call and said they had our application and were we interested,” Ms Simons said.
“They were here for a couple of weeks. The first week they stripped the house, and the second week, they started remodeling and filming.”
The Simons family, who run a horse training business on the property, put the house up for sale last year after their nephew was killed in a car accident and Sandi’s mum was diagnosed with dementia.
“We decided to sell the house and move back home and help out. We’re from Rochester, a little country town near Echuca. I was going to be Mum’s carer and help my nieces and nephews.
“The house at that point had been on the market for eight months and we hadn’t had much interest. Since it’s been renovated, we have got more. The show aired on April 15, but the lockdown has meant no one’s been able to come through.”
As the team gutted the property and removed the “cowboy rustic” interior replacing it with a “chic country provincial” feel, Sandi said it took a while for the property to feel like their own.
“It was completely different everything was white and bright. It was lovely but it felt so strange, like I was in someone else’s home. We’ve brought some of our stuff back in.
“Andrew has no bedside manner, it’s his job to highlight everything that’s wrong with the place, so that’s what he did. We got along famously with Charlie, who rode our horses whenever he got the chance; and Shaynna, who brought her dog.”
Mr Winter said the 2.92 hectare property at 173-195 Murradoc Road had great equestrian infrastructure and land but the tired old house let it down. He said the original tiny cottage had been extended in an “ad hoc fashion” over the years.
“Two out of the three bedrooms felt internal, which is a complete no-no, and the second living area felt more like an outdoor area.”
The new-look interior introduces a neutral colour palette, pale timber floors and a showpiece kitchen with stone benchtops and a feature brick fireplace, plus two living areas.

Sandi said her mum recently passed away so the urgency to sell their property, now listed with a price guide of $1.15 million to $1.25 million, is no longer there, so for now they’re just enjoying the renovations.
For more information about this property, phone Lee Martin at Bellarine Property on 0400 957 839.