Oh brother! Alex and Brad’s NZRenoTok journey

Season one of NZRenoTok kicked off with a bang as four teams undertook a six-week challenge to completely transform their homes. A variety of content creators became renovators for the duration, all bringing vastly different skill levels and properties to the table. 

Often challenging but always intensely rewarding, the journey entailed many ups, downs and sleepless nights as the teams worked tirelessly to refresh different spaces, focusing on a different area each week. Adding to the task at hand, they were also responsible for filming and editing their progress and sharing it on TikTok. 

The public were seriously invested in this unique renovation reality show format, and they didn’t hold back with feedback in the comments! With more than 24 million views over the course of the series, NZRenoTok quickly became the most popular local digital DIY platform.

Resene helped the teams out, not only with paint and painting products, but often saving the day with invaluable advice from the team at Resene ColorShops. 

Brothers Brad and Alex Smeele transformed their Kumeū home and worked as a dream team to make it happen in record time, with the goal to make it more wheelchair accessible for Brad. 

We chatted to Brad and Alex about their NZRenoTok journey and what they loved about working with Resene.

Can you tell us a little about yourselves and what you do?

We’re Brad and Alex, brothers living in Kumeū. Brad is a former pro wakeboarder turned quadriplegic after an accident in 2014. And younger brother Alex is a tech entrepreneur. We bought our house together in 2023 and we’re working toward renovating it to make it fully wheelchair accessible.

How would you describe your home before?

We’re very fortunate to have a beautiful home to start with, but after two years it still looked like we only just moved in. It was definitely a boy’s home. And Brad’s bedroom is still in the garage until our major renovations are done. The house was lacking that bit of character that we knew it could have.

How would you describe your home now?

Now our home feels more comfortable and classy. The lounge and patio areas are now something to be proud of and great for entertaining. There’s the extra character in our pool area with the mural that Alex painted. The shed is now actually usable and organised, and a space in which we can actually get projects done. And while Brad is still living in the garage, it’s much more cosy now and actually feels like a bedroom as opposed to a garage. We’re really stoked on the improvements from the NZRenoTok work.

How would you describe your renovating style?

Trial and error. Our dad was a builder so he taught us a lot growing up, but because Brad is now unable to be hands-on, he tends to be the observer and help with planning and guiding the renovation, while Alex is hands-on along with our friends who stepped up to help out.

What did you enjoy most about the NZRenoTok experience?

Finishing off the six weeks and being able to admire the work we got done – and being able to finally take a rest. But another really cool part was working with the different brands and meeting people along the way, leaning on their guidance, particularly Ilza from Resene who helped pick out colours, since we’re both colour confused.

What was the biggest lesson you learnt along the way?

Measure twice, cut once. And we learnt that late nights tend to be when we are most productive and get our best work done.

What was the biggest challenge of the journey?

For Brad, the biggest challenge was not being able to actually help with the physical work. And for Alex it was challenging himself creatively with the Resene nature mural.

What was the most hilarious part of the process?

Sitting back and watching Alex finish installing something only to break it to him that it’s off centre. And all the bloopers.

What are your favourite Resene colours and why?

During NZRenoTok we used Resene Olive Green in a few projects, so I’d say that’s the favourite.

We also had a lot of fun with the bright colours we used on our playhouse for the Kindness Collective. We had some input from an artist who created a Māori-inspired design for our playhouse, as it was being donated to a local kōhanga reo (Māori preschool). She suggested Resene Spotlight and Resene Seance, a yellow and purple combination that looked incredible.

What did you enjoy most about working with Resene ColorShop staff?

The fact that we could lean on the advice of the Resene staff because of our lack of confidence in picking colours. Ilza was amazing and such a big help.

Did they share any valuable painting advice and if so, what was it?

The best advice given was really helping us pick which colours go well together and making sure to properly prep the surfaces before painting.

What space were you most proud of and why?

I think we’re most proud of the lounge. It’s the space we both use the most and the biggest transformation from before to after.

What are your three best tips/hacks for any budding DIYers out there?

• Even though DIY stands for ‘do it yourself’, don’t be afraid to ask for help. 
• Mistakes are bound to happen, so don’t panic. It’s all part of the journey.
• Have fun with it. DIY can be stressful, so try to enjoy the journey.

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