Three Birds' latest renovation project a keeper
Lana Taylor has been busy unpacking.
The dynamic Three Birds renovation team member - and wife of the recently sacked West Tigers coach, Jason Taylor - has the onerous, but joyous task on completing the team's sixth house.
Lana describes the home conversion as from a tired terracotta Tuscan villa into "modern white on white Mediterranean style home."
Rather than a home ready to be onsold, this time the lower north shore rebuild was her own abode - indeed it's Lana and Jason's "forever home."
It's the sixth home reno the Three Birds trio - made up of Lana Taylor, Erin Cayless and Bonnie Hindmarsh - have undertaken in the last few years.
They've only done flipping houses previously.
The recent extensive makeover of the three level Northbridge home - being documented through the team's threebirdsrenovations.com website featuring a YouTube television series made especially for realestate.com.au - was a break on their buy, renovate and sell routine.
Lana said it's a "surreal feeling" and feels like she is "the lucky one because she gets to live in it."
Most of the Three Birds success has come from The Hills District, where they have made nice profits on houses in Northmead, Castle Hill and most recently Baulkham Hills last last year.
The team started when Bonnie called Lana and asked if she wanted to renovate houses with her.
Lana, who previously spent 15 years marketing global brands like Dove and Cover Girl, responded by suggesting she had never renovated anything in her life, however she had been watching The Block and it inspired her to buy some new cushions.
The trio have honed their combined talents, with Bonnie in charge of creative design and Erin who is in charge of logistics.
Despite structurally being the biggest home task the team had taken on, the Northbridge home was completed it double quick time.
"Most people were surprised as they thought it would take 12-18 months," Lana said on the project, which took just six months to finish.
The quick renovation was helped by builders and tradies keenly turning up every day, she said.
It was custom designed including having just the three bedrooms "rare for a three level home nowadays, but with just the two children and pet parrot, three bedrooms was enough."
There's also extensive office space and divine terrace on the top level in the master retreat.
"It's a lovely time in our lives to have a beautiful home to appreciate," Lana told me.
Lana met Jason after he retired from rugby league in 2001, spending a brief one year stint with the Eels.
She moved in to the Northbridge home soon after Jason finished playing and shared the home with Jason and his mother.
Jason had been Mosman based before spending $845,000 on the Northbridge home in 1998 while he was at the North Sydney Bears.
He doubled his money on his two bedroom Mosman apartment, selling for $745,000 after paying $336,000 in 1993, just before he joined The Bears.
This article first appeared in the Daily Telegraph.