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FEATURE LISTING: Move-in ready Medindie makeover

Hitting the market this week is the stunning Victoria Avenue address of Danny and Lisa Scinto, who transformed a dated character home into a glamorous family entertainer with all the luxury extras you could wish for.

Danny and Lisa knew they had found something special when they first discovered their two-storey character home at 2A Victoria Avenue, Medindie.

The couple had just returned from a big overseas trip with their two children and were looking for a new address that would allow them to be nearer their children’s schools.

The location at Victoria Avenue is hard to beat – Wilderness School is a short 600-metre walk away, Prince Alfred College is just four kilometres away and North Adelaide’s Melbourne Street is about half that.

The home was dated when they bought it in 2013, but with Danny’s experience as the director of a building company, he recognised that the potential was there for something special.

He was particularly taken by the grand character facade and extensive off-street parking.

“We bought the home because of its great location and solid brick construction with solid walls and sound concrete slab,” says Danny.

“As a builder, I acknowledged that the home was well built and could be transformed into a modern character family home.”

Danny and Lisa worked on the design themselves before having the home completely gutted, renovated, extended and landscaped. The home was move-in ready in 2014.

The large family home has been listed for sale this week, with the couple not needing as much space for their family and deciding to move to a new address.

Lisa says it has been a fantastic home, in which the Scintos have created many lasting memories and hosted plenty of teenage gatherings, birthdays and family events.

“There’s a lot that we’ll miss a lot about the home, the location in particular, but also just the fact that it’s a beautiful house that has everything you could want,” says Lisa.

“The home’s current iteration is very different to how it was when we purchased it.

“We’re builders, so we weren’t put off by the work that needed to be done and Danny saw a lot of potential.

“We gutted it, worked with the shell and recreated the entire house.”

The family area is the heart of the home with a modern gas fireplace, bar, kitchen and butler’s pantry, which all opens up to the alfresco dining area next to the pool.

At the entry to the home, a new staircase and wrought iron balustrade – previously all-timber – is a major feature, with a void that features a high-end Vistosi Giogali Italian chandelier.

The couple made a number of additions to the upstairs rooms, including a bigger walk-in wardrobe and en suite to the main bedroom and additional en suites to two more bedrooms.

They built a huge theatre room to watch movies, which has been a favourite family activity during holidays and parties.

A new gym room opens up to the outdoor space, with a dragon tree and cactus garden completing the immaculate grounds, which were designed by landscape architect Philippa Edmonds.

The back yard was redesigned with the new alfresco dining space complete with an outdoor barbecue kitchen, while the luxury swimming pool and undercover spa were updated.

The pool had previously been even bigger and included a swim-up bar, with rumours circulating that the home had hosted some large parties under its former ownership.

The couple made the pool smaller to create room for some lawn, replacing the timber pool decking with terrazzo concrete.

“It’s basically a new house with so many brand-new features that have been completed as recently as the past two years,” says Lisa.

The grass tennis court was previously owned by a neighbour who graciously allowed them to use the court for a couple of years before eventually offering them the opportunity to buy the land from him.

“We had a gate to his tennis court and our neighbour was extremely kind to allow us to use his court for a number of years, particularly our son who is an avid soccer player and would use it to practice,” says Lisa.

“It’s a great neighbourhood and it’s going to be upsetting to leave, but I’m okay with that.

“We worked on it for so many years and it’s now move-in ready for the next family.”

The sale is being handled by Stephanie and John Williams of Williams Real Estate.

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