Karen and Jono Frankle, above, at their new home in Bucklands Beach. Photo / Doug Sherring
Karen and Jono Frankle, above, at their new home in Bucklands Beach. Photo / Doug Sherring
Winners of reality TV show Our First Home are dusting off their DIY skills.
But this time Jono and Karen Frankle will get to enjoy the labour of their renovation skills, spending their winnings from the popular reality TV show on a "do up" property in Bucklands Beach, East Auckland.
The couple teamed up with Karen's parents, Tom and Robyn Schreuder, for Our First Home, taking on the Wardlaw and Gourley families for DIY supremacy. Team Schreuder left the show with $290,400 — $190,400 profits from the sale of a Titirangi home they renovated and $100,000 for selling their property for the greatest percentage profit.
Jono and Karen will take ownership of their new home tomorrow. The timing is perfect as the Frankles have a new project to look forward to since finishing the house: the arrival of their first child.
"It's another do-up," Karen told the Herald on Sunday. "Dad has already started drawing up plans, so we're starting to look at our options.
"We're definitely going to rip in, rip out wallpaper and get painting and all that sort of thing."
The Schreuder family. Photo / Bradley Ambrose
The Frankles were looking for their first home for almost a year, Karen saying the financial boost from winning Our First Home had been a huge help in finally getting on the property ladder.
But after all the hard work they had put into renovating the two-bedroom Scenic Drive property for the TV show, Karen said it had been hard to bid it farewell.
The family had close connections to the street before starring in Our First Home. Jono and Karen were married there in March 2014 and Jono's parents bought their first home there after emigrating from South Africa. "We had lots of memories in that street," Karen said.
"And obviously when you put so much hard work and effort into a house, to transform it, you definitely feel a bit attached.
"But knowing that we were going to sell it for a profit for us to start our own journey in the property market was also exciting."
Meanwhile, the Schreuders didn't leave the show empty handed. They have been rewarded with a luxurious $20,000 African safari, plus $10,000 to spend.
• Families interested in appearing in series two of Our First Home can register at: tvnz.co.nz/ourfirsthome
