Inside the Home Husbands reno: Couple turn derelict Fremantle house into $1.59m dream home

• Owners: Content creator and marketing executive Jordan Bruno and geologist Dane Yull
• Project timeline: Bought the house in July 2023, moved in December 2023, reno completed in April 2026
• Project budget: About $150,000
• Most expensive cost: A $3500 viola marble vanity
• Where they saved the most: DIY-ing saved the couple a huge amount. They also sourced most of their materials via thrift shops and Facebook Marketplace
• Most unexpected cost: The $15,000 it took to rewire the home, which was not in the initial budget
• What would we do differently: “Plenty! But let’s chalk it all up to experience. Zero regrets!”

Jordan Bruno and Dane Yull don’t pretend to be shrewd house flippers, but what they lack in property prowess they have made up for with raw enthusiasm and plenty of drama.

When they took the reins of this 100-year-old house in Palmyra, east of Fremantle, in 2023, they were blissfully unaware of the scope of the job ahead.

Led by the happy realisation they could afford a property in the suburb they loved, they fell for the high ceilings and hardwood floors and moved in, ignoring the fact that the place was, well, uninhabitable.

“There was no working bathroom or kitchen, rats were living in it, and there was a ton of water damage,” Bruno shares. “It was not for the faint-hearted, which is unfortunate because we were very much faint-hearted!”

Then the couple discovered termite damage, asbestos and the home wiring system that the previous owner had rigged up.

“Apparently, it was a miracle the house hadn’t burnt down, which is always a cute little surprise after settlement,” Bruno says with a laugh. “That cost us around $15,000 we absolutely had not planned for.”

Those first six months on-site tested their resolve. Showering outside and cooking their meals on a Bunsen burner, the pair gutted the three-bedroom house and began its slow transformation, room by room.

“It was basically a nearly three-year slog dressed up as a ‘fun little project’,” Bruno says. “Renovating together has tested us, but it’s also made us a much better team.

“We used fully qualified electricians, plumbers and water-proofers, because we are chaotic but not criminally irresponsible,” Bruno says. “Outside of that, we did the rest ourselves.”

Yull, a geologist by trade (and the “more practical and hands-on” of the pair, Bruno concedes), signed up for woodworking lessons as the couple tapped into local expertise and studied YouTube tutorials to tackle everything from floorboard restoration and kitchen installation to tiling, bricklaying and wallpapering.

Bruno, who works in marketing, began documenting their reno journey on social media using the moniker Home Husbands. Unexpectedly, that first video of their main bedroom transformation garnered 1 million views on Instagram and made them darlings of a corner of the internet where renovation, camp theatre and comedy intersect. Their relationship dynamic endeared them to followers, even if their decorating style didn’t always.

“I usually dream up the big, dramatic, slightly unhinged vision, and Dane figures out how to actually make it happen without the house collapsing,” Bruno says.

“We had so much support, advice and encouragement from people who genuinely care about what we’re doing. It almost feels like having a giant design team making decisions with you, except some of them are yelling in the comments.”

As thousands watched on, the decrepit house transformed into a “moody maximalist” home. Think dark greens, deep reds, antiques, collected pieces, old-world detailing, and “rooms that feel like they might tell you a secret if you sit in them long enough,” Bruno says.

Always working to an almost impossibly tight budget, the couple got creative with thrift-store purchases and Facebook Marketplace finds, the biggest of which was an entire kitchen for $4000.

“We love a Marketplace spiral at 11pm,” Bruno says with a laugh. “Our second-hand kitchen still feels like one of our proudest wins.”

As their social media presence grew, some sponsors jumped on board, easing the budget by offering discounts on amber glass and glossy chocolate-coloured tiles in the glamorous bathroom or cash in exchange for collaborative content.

“We didn’t have a set budget, which is probably both brave and deeply silly,” Bruno says. “We think we spent close to $150,000 all up. Outside of the boring but necessary things, we were actually quite smart with where we invested.”

Bruno jokes that their personal aesthetic was never intended for the mass market – this house was always going to be the couple’s own home. “The whole house is quite dramatic, which is very on brand for us,” he explains.

And yet, with job possibilities calling from interstate, their now-confirmed love of renovating and burgeoning 220,000-strong Instagram presence, the future feels rich with promise. The house at 5 Cleopatra Street is now on the market with a price guide of $1.59 million.

“We have a huge project planned in a different city, but we can’t give too much away just yet,” Bruno teases. “Also – a very important detail – we can only afford it if this house sells. So, spiritually and financially, the next chapter is pending.”

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51 Cleopatra Street, Palmyra WA 6157

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