Family’s new home unveiled
FRESH: The new lounge room, part of an extension built onto the back of the house. Picture: DARREN HOWE
NEW: The dining area, part of a new open-space living area. Picture: DARREN HOWE
MODERN: The new kitchen. Picture: DARREN HOWE
SLEEK: The bathroom. Picture: DARREN HOWE
BRIGHT: The guest bedroom. Picture: DARREN HOWE
REFRESHED: Tara Johns' new bedroom. Picture: DARREN HOWE
STUNNING: Paul and Sue Johns' bedroom. The painting above the bed is an artwork by Melbourne-based artist Mark Schaller, the two flowers representing their late children Beccky and Brett. Picture: DARREN HOWE
LOVELY: The new verandah and back yard. Picture: SUPPLIED
FAMILY: Tara, Sue and Paul Johns. Picture: DARREN HOWE
BEFORE: The lounge room before the house was renovated. Picture: SUPPLIED
BEFORE: The Johns family home before the renovation. Picture: SUPPLIED
BEFORE: One of the bedrooms before the makeover. Picture: SUPPLIED
BEFORE: A bedroom before the Reno Rumble renovation. Picture: SUPPLIED
AMAZED: Paul, Sue and Tara Johns, with Reno Rumble hosts Scott Cam and Shelley Craft, see their revamped home for the first time. Picture: SUPPLIED
NEW BEGINNING: The home was unrecognisable during renovations. Picture: DARREN HOWE
HARD WORK: The home in the midst of the renovations. Picture: DARREN HOWE
STARS: Reno Rumble hosts Shelley Craft and Scott Cam in Bendigo during filming. Picture: DARREN HOWE
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The Johns family say they have been “blown away” by the transformation their home underwent on a reality television series.
The home of Bendigo residents Paul, Sue and daughter Tara was renovated in the final challenge of Reno Rumble, a program that pitted teams against one another in home renovation challenges.
Mr and Mrs Johns’ other daughter Beccky loved home makeover television shows and dreamt of having the family home overhauled on such a program.
But last year the 23-year-old was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, caused by the anti-rejection medication she took for two kidney transplants she had received because of a lifelong kidney condition.
Sadly Beccky passed away a mere nine weeks after her diagnosis, but a chance meeting she had with The Block winners Dean and Shay Paine saw her dream eventually become a reality for her family.
Two of the rooms were revealed on Monday night and the remainder of the house was unveiled in Tuesday night’s series final.
Contestants painted the rooms of the 1920s-era weatherboard house in shades of white, grey and blue, decorating the home with furnishings in similar soft colours.
Cracks in walls were fixed, the stumps were replaced, an extension was added to the back of the home and the gardens were landscaped.
Going into the renovation, the only request the family had was that the stained glass windows remain.
While Beccky passed away before work began, Ms Johns said contestants and crew felt her sister was there throughout the process.
A picture hanging in the breakfast nook brings this home for the family.
Mrs Johns said Beccky, who had been on a dream trip to the United States, told nurses she wanted to take her family on a trip to New York one day to say thank you for all they had done for her.
“So when we came back for the reveal, we saw this picture, and initially I thought it was the park across the road from The Alfred [hospital], because it’s just this avenue of trees,” she said.
“Then I noticed the snow and they said ‘Oh, it’s New York’, and that was just the end of me.”
Melbourne-based artist Mark Schaller contributed an artwork to the home, a painting of two flowers that hangs above Mr and Mrs Johns’ bed.
The flowers represent Beccky and her late brother Brett, who died as a baby from the same kidney condition.
Mr Johns said the result of the makeover was “stunningly beautiful”.
”We’re very grateful and very humbled by the whole experience,” Mr Johns said.
The Johns family will hold a fundraising open inspection day of their home on Saturday, May 7 from 10am to 2pm at 2 Tomlins Street, Bendigo.
Entry will be by gold coin donation, with proceeds going to a trust established in Beccky’s honour to fund research into non-carcinogenic anti-rejection drugs for transplant patients.
Donations to the Beccky Johns Kidney Discovery Trust can also be made at the Kidney Health Australia website or by phoning 1800 454 363.