Hong Kong aviator goes the DIY route to turn Discovery Bay duplex into dream home
A couple of serial renovators take stock after creating a dream home for themselves in Discovery Bay.
Good things come to those who wait. Scottishborn Chris Allan and his Filipino wife, Roselle, understand this well, having put off for two and a half years living in what she now describes as their dream home.
The pair saw potential in their 2,100 sq ft, two-storey Discovery Bay house, despite its being in desperate need of a complete makeover. The appeal lay in the duplex’s sea views, big balconies and scope for enlargement.
The couple, who were living in another property they owned, nearby, gave the house a once-over so it could be rented out. They modernised the kitchen and bathrooms and installed new wood flooring. They also made the most of the 14-foot ceilings by adding lofts to two of the three bedrooms, all on the upper floor.
“I’m a big believer in high-quality renovations as it pays back in the long term,” says Allan, an aviator who has been in the industry for 40 years.
He should know, having bought and done up four properties in Hong Kong with Roselle, a former senior flight attendant.
During the two years the house was rented out, the Allans thought hard about what they wanted and last year decided to complete the renovation, for themselves. Sharing a love of design and decor, they undertook the project without the help of an architect or a designer but benefited from the “can do” ethic of contractor Dick Hung, of Hung Fai International Engineering.