Situated well off the main highway and nestled on a high spot on the southern side of the ranges, the historic house had good bones. But it had been untouched for decades by the previous - and original - owners when these keen renovators took it on as their latest project.

“The oldest house we have fully renovated was from the1820s in Tasmania - now you can't get much earlier than that,” says one half of the couple, who are a renovating powerhouse after having restored multiple homes in Victoria and Tasmania.

Luckily they weren't fazed by the prospect as the lady of the house is also an experienced interior designer. However, if they had heeded the advice of a cautious real estate agent who tried to deter them from inspecting the “run-down homestead” during a lengthy phone conversation their transition to country farmers may not have happened.

“We actually found the place by accident - as we were driving the area looking at houses and we saw the ad for it. It looked run down but quite grand as the photo showed it had chimneys, which reminded me of my grandparents house,” he says.

“It had been on the market for a while so the agent reluctantly let us come up and look at it … anyway, we loved it, we made an offer and we bought it.”

With the deal quickly sealed, so began the retired couple’s next renovation.

“You either get a feel for a house or you don't,” he says smiling, knowing their initial decision was right many years later.

But before they moved in, the house was stripped bare as a blank canvas was the only way forward, he says. Walls were restored, timber trims, doors and mantle pieces were sanded and re-stained to a shining glory. Lashings of neutral-coloured paint with hints of colour gave the rooms new life and the original glass of the existing sash windows were given a welcome buff and polish to once again allow light to flood the rooms.

Other work included a new verandah and restoring exterior brickwork. Within a short period of time, the house was back to its former grandeur; if not better than before with the addition of a modern bathroom and kitchen.

“When we arrived the fence posts were nailed to the verandah and cattle were edging up to the house. While the house hadn't been touched in years we were lucky as it still had the original doors, including the front door, and their furnishings - it was a bit like stepping back in time. The whole floor was in good condition structurally but nothing had been done for decades.”

In its previous life, the 1880-era house was a generational home with grandparents, parents and three daughters living in the standard six-room Victorian home with lean-to kitchen and windows on only two sides. No doubt to minimise the sun in the harsh Australian summers, or to meet budget.

“We found out that the kitchen had burnt down a few times, but that was pretty standard from those times,” he says.

While happy with their restoration the couple knew their Victorian home needed to offer more space if they were to comfortably make it their ideal space. Apart from regular “trips into town (Melbourne)” to catch up with old friends, the couple has firmly established themselves in the Macedon Ranges. “We moved to the ranges as we liked its sense of community, it offered a closeness to Melbourne and yet has a strong community feel …(and) we found some good friends nearby so we decided to live here,” he laughs. “This is home for us.”

And so began the next stage in their Victorian renovation. An extension included a “grand” room that pays homage to the arts and crafts period with a soaring ceiling and lead-light detail included in the windows, a butler’s pantry in the new kitchen that is now more suited to modern living and entertaining, mud room, dual offices for the owners and a massive bedroom with a hallway leading to his and her bathrooms.

“We spent a lot of time thinking about the floor plan but my wife has the idea for design,” he says. “She is one of those people who has the capacity to see how things look like before it is done. It’s a gift to be able to see an empty room done.

“It was ambitious (the project), but we decided to extend the house's footprint and join it to the old barn.”

Tasmanian oak, “which is slowly going dark”, was the timber of choice for trims and some furnishings. Chandeliers were chosen to enhance “the sense of grand proportions”.

“It’s a beaut space and it’s ideal for entertaining. It is a big house but we are comfortable in it as we don't feel as though we are in a big space. It is quite self contained in respects, as the old part of the house is now a wing for guests.”

An integral part of the renovation was including large windows that would allow the owners and their visitors to admire the ranges and watch cattle slowly graze the property.

“The windows let you feel as though you are outside. My wife is a firm believer that light from more than one side is always fantastic in a room.

“When the house was built the builders didn't put windows on two sides of the house. It was west-facing so perhaps the original budget didn't allow for more,” he adds.

“While it was an exotic house for its time but it wasn’t big despite looking grand as you came up the driveway, and while the two front rooms have rose cornices the rest are plain.”

With the structural work done, it was time for decor to be set against a neutral paint scheme. Furniture groupings are positioned to take in the views and to encourage conversation and to partake in card games.

Large couches and roomy chairs were deliberately chosen to suit the large proportions of the room. Although lovers of good design and seasoned travellers, the couple are not avid collectors with a need to take beloved furniture to their next abode, choosing instead to buy or commission new pieces that will suit best.

“Being in the Macedon Ranges we have fantastic weather but it’s not predictable, so we really need to be inside or outside when we can. As for decor and furniture, we don't collect over the years, we more change over the years and buy for the house.

“The big sideboard we bought for the house, and the counter,” he says, pointing to the other side of the room, "was the reception desk at my father’s accounting firm last century. It had a wooden top on it then, but we decided to use the timber to hold the hanging hooks that are in our bathrooms and mud room.”

Rugs sourced from The Persian Room tie the old and new together. A pair of tall Balinese bookcases standing either side of the fireplace came from Kyneton's The Emporium, sourced on a buying trip by the store’s owner.

The marble fireplace surround came from a now-closed recovery yard in Bendigo.

“When we did the extension we wanted to do it all out of old bricks, so when we went to get them we saw this and we got that, too,” he says, tapping the marble mantelpiece.

While the interior is comfortably done “I still have about 40 years of projects to go”, the owner laughs, referring to the garden, which is taking shape with hedging and stone walls slowly taking shape to corral the wandering cattle and to define the driveway.

“The land came with the house so we became farmers and so we have cattle. They are our lawn mowers,” he says, smiling as he admires the property; adding, almost wistfully, that they are definitely ‘home’: “I don’t think we will be doing this again, this could be it.”

No doubt, history will tell for these serial renovators.