Soon-to-be newlyweds Kim Kelly and Ethan Andrews moved into their home in Birmingham Gardens in December 2020 after the heat wave.
The three-bedroom, two-and-a-half bathroom weatherboard house is the first home the two have ever owned.
The couple searched for nearly a year for the perfect property. They developed an emotional attachment to this house as soon as they saw it. They made an offer, and it wasn't accepted, but then to their delight the first sale fell through. The house was theirs.
They believe it was built in the 1920s or '30s. With its stained glass windows, high ceilings, natural light and bushland views of Jesmond and Wallsend, it has character and charm.
"It's an unassuming house," Andrews says. "I think you wouldn't expect the inside from the front, and I think Birmingham Gardens as a suburb is probably off people's radars. It's so small that they don't even think of it."
Says Kelly of her requirements when house hunting: "It needed a master bedroom big enough for a cot for the future." She loves the plasterwork in her bedroom as well.
Over the years, the house has had some renovations. The original front door is now located in the sunroom, and they reckon the deck was built later on.
"There's a lot of things in the house some people might walk in and say 'That needs to go because it's outdated', but we love the little quirks. We want to keep it just how it is," Kelly says.
"The bathroom's amazing; it's got that old clay basin. Along the top of the bathtub there's the gum leaf tiles."
"I think we needed something that was ready to be lived in from day one. We couldn't do any renos," Andrews says.
"We are so not handy at all," Kelly jokes.
She's a nurse and Andrews works in events planning.
In terms of decor they have a mix of things, including items from Facebook Marketplace. They brought most of their furniture from where they were previously renting. They like secondhand and upcycled items. Kelly's favourite piece of decor is the entry table she got from Hamilton North secondhand shops; she's covered it in plants.
They know at least one of the previous owners was an artist with a multitude of hobbies. Formerly the house had archery equipment, surf boards, golf clubs and lots of plants. When Andrews and Kelly moved in, the two saw they'd left plenty of goodies for the couple to enjoy. Kelly is adding several of her paintings to the collection and finding herself moved by the creative zeitgeist of the place.
"I haven't painted for a year, but ever since moving in, I've painted every weekend. I feel really happy and inspired. There's lots of wall space; let's fill up all the walls," Kelly says.
The plants and nature are also important to their state of mind.
"I think we needed that green space after lockdown," Andrews says. "We probably liked that idea of a backyard, being able to have some sort of food to grow here."
They have big aspirations for the garden, and so far they've planted eggplants, tomatoes and fruit trees.
They had always wanted chickens, and much to their delight, they got four chickens with the house, another moving-in present from the previous owner. Cluck Norris, Chick-olace Cage, Chickira (named after Shakira) and Chick-uille O'Neal have been a joy to look after although Cluck Norris keeps going missing.
And to go with the avian entertainment theme, they see plenty of birds from their leafy view including kookaburras and silver crested cockatoos.
"The sun sets over in the corner, it's very peaceful," Kelly says.
Andrews liked that the house came with solar panels. His first electricity bill was less than $60. He tries to make his lifestyle as eco-friendly as he can.
They're also carbon neutral via a company called Powershop, and they can see how much power the house is generating on Powershop's app.
Now that they're fully moved in and sorted, they're enjoying getting to know the neighbours and having friends and family around.
With chooks, art, solar and secondhand, Kelly and Andrews are doing their best to live good and live well.
Alex Morris is a contributing writer to the Newcastle Herald. Pictures in this report by Ben Wirt.
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