Restoration work leads to reward

The pair bought their suburban bungalow as a three-bedroom, one- bathroom project, which they planned to transform into an extended house to serve as their family home for the next 25 years.

Extensive renovation works transformed the house, with Mr Geersen putting his IT career on hold to be the owner/builder.

His priority was to return the building to its former glory, as well as add extensions in line with the era.

Mr Geersen said a successful application for a heritage loan subsidy through the Heritage Council of WA and City of Stirling helped fund the works.

‘All design and fitout lends itself from either the original house or style of the era to create the final completed package,’ he said.

For their work on the house, the Geersens won the Conservation and Sensitive Adaption of a Heritage Place in the recent City of Stirling Heritage Awards.

They also won the Barrie Baker Special Recognition Award, with Mr Geersen’s investment in the house extending to extensive research into the history of the house, dating back to the late 1929s.

Records uncovered by Mr Geersen showed John James Plunkett was the builder of the house, along with two other properties on the street.

The house first sold in 1929 for 1240 pounds.

Since then, six families have owned the house, including the Geersen family.