By Charlene Gatt
A MAN’S home is his castle, according to The Castle’s Darryl Kerrigan.
For Doug McDonald, his Victorian-style home in Yarraville is also free advertising.
The registered builder, whose business DM Urban Projects does extensions and renovations on Victorian and Edwardian-style homes, has seen business jump in leaps and bounds since renovating his Powell St home more than a year ago.
“When I renovated this house, it was like a Yellow Pages ad for me, people would stop every day and take photos,” he said.
“Having Yarraville West Primary School across the road has also been great (advertising).
“Melbourne has been really good for me, because it’s full of old homes, especially in the western suburbs – there’s an endless supply.”
Mr McDonald specialises is restoring old and dilapidated homes to their former glory, a craft he learned in New Zealand as an apprentice.
He is currently working to restore the the old Kelvin Grove Private Hospital in Yarraville for the Hansby family.
“It’s harder to renovate an old house than knocking it down and building a new one, because there’s so much more work,” Mr McDonald said.
“But it’s a better type of carpentry, I find. It’s great to see an old house that’s derelict and walk away in four or five months and see it restored back to what it was.
“People have asked me to build new homes, but I don’t like to build new homes, I much prefer to renovate the old homes. It’s my passion and I know a lot about it.
“It gets a bit dirty and grimy sometimes doing the old homes, but it’s the final product which is awesome.”
DM Urban Projects works on about 12 houses a year, predominantly in the West.
