Will this luxury revamp of retro Kahibah cottage bring in an extra million?

A home in Kahibah is unrecognisable after undergoing an Instagram-worthy revamp under the eye of two seasoned renovators.

And now it’s on the market, with the hopes that the reno will add an extra $1 million of value.

The property, Zenith, at 49 Burwood Street is listed with with an auction guide of $1.8 million with Katie Kepner at Presence Real Estate.

According to CoreLogic records, the owners paid $855,000 for the property in December 2022.

After a six-month redesign and renovation, the three-bedroom, one-bedroom cottage has been transformed into a luxury home, with the addition of a studio and swimming pool in the backyard.

Ms Kepner said the owners purchased the property to create a purpose-built luxury short-term holiday rental and as a result, no detail has been spared.

“They are professional renovators and they designed it specifically for an Airbnb business, so every detail is just perfect,” Ms Kepner said.

“It was very carefully done and they really designed it to be that luxurious coastal living where you don’t have to leave the house, but if you wanted to you can just go down the street to Glenrock or jump on the Fernleigh Track or down to Dudley beach.

“It has everything close by.”

When carpenter-turned-property developer Joe Berriman and his fiancee, Gabby Hill, bought the property in 2022, the house was in its original condition.

Fibro walls, retro carpets and original bathroom and kitchen were demolished to make way for a light and bright coastal-inspired modern family home.

“We gutted all of the inside out and extended the property at the back,” Mr Berriman said.

“It was very pokey, it had pink vanities and floral carpets, but it was in beautiful condition.

“It was one owner, so the house was built by the couple we purchased it off and they had kept it in immaculate condition.

“It was like a time capsule.”

New features include vaulted ceilings, clerestory windows and a natural stone-encased gas fireplace.

The sleek white kitchen is centred around a circular kitchen island bench, with built-in booth seating in the dining area.

One of Mr Berriman’s favourite features is a gold mirror in the kitchen sourced from a manufacturer who created the design for QT hotels.

“We picked up the last pieces and made them work and incorporated it into the kitchen to give it a unique touch,” he said.

There are three bedrooms in the home including a master with an ensuite, and fourth bedroom in a detached studio at the rear of the property.

The main bathroom has a free-standing bath tub and rain shower, while the backyard was transformed with the addition of an in-ground swimming pool surrounded by tropical gardens.

There is also a covered alfresco and barbecue area with a wine fridge.

“We really wanted to create a little oasis,” he said.

It is the 15th renovation project Mr Berriman has completed.

Alongside Ms Hill, who oversees the interiors and design, Mr Berriman works with sub contractors to renovate and rebuild the homes.

He started his first building company at 21 after leaving school at 14, and eventually moved into property development.

“I started business really young,” he said.

“There came a time where I thought, ‘We need to be doing this [renovating homes] ourselves’ and we started to buy smaller properties and that led into sub divisions.

“These days we buy and renovate or build a house every year and we love the journey.”

Mr Berriman said they chose to list the property for sale after receiving multiple enquiries to buy the home.

“Our main intention was to use it as an Airbnb but we had a lot of interest from people who had watched the build from start to finish,” he said.

“The opportunity arose from that.”

Ms Kepner said the listing had drawn strong interest since hitting the market a week ago.

“I have been getting lots of enquiry on Instagram specifically because it is the perfect Instagram house, so that is where I am getting a lot of interest from,” she said.

This story originally appeared on view.com.au.