Where Is She Now?

 I think that's my youngest brother having a sticky beak there. He originally contemplated taking the house off our hands.

I receive many emails from new blog followers asking about how this project started. As my first year of my house build blog has been archived (don't ask, but I'll throw the word 'legal' in... I was too honest in my build recount)....I thought I'd at least put this little story down for posterity.

There was this old home (above) on the block when we purchased it. The block is 782sqm, 31 perch, with a natural 5 metre fall from the back down to the road. We are in a 'Demolition Control', 'Character Code' precinct and because the frontage was less than 15m (14.9 can you believe it, 10cm out), we also had the 'Small Lot Building Code' to abide by.

The new owner sizing up the project!

Aerial photographs of the land in May, 1946 show no house. Aerial photographs in May 1947 show the house built. Anything built before 1946 has to remain in this 'Demolition Control, Character Code precinct... we scraped into the demolition approval year by the skin of our teeth. But I just couldn't demolish it. It was a deceased estate, only one family had owned it, built it, grew up in it, passed away in it.... and despite the fact that no house removal company would touch it, due to asbestos, we knew someone would want it. Have you ever witnessed a house demolition? ..... very traumatic and horrifically noisy. I'm a sentimental sook.

Now it was a very basic home inside (very typical of homes built post war, when money was tight) - one lounge/dining area, 2 small bedrooms, a sleepout, original 1947 kitchen, with 1947 newspaper lining the kitchen drawers, outside toilet, out amongst the spiders (redbacks). Oh and the top third of the block was a rubbish tip (144 sqm of it). The little old man was a bit of a 'Steptoe and Son' and collected black plastic garden pots.... millions of them, not to mention sheets of fibro (more asbestos) leaning up against the asbestos fence (that we promptly had removed as our first project).

So we advertised in the newspaper "Free House" and the offers came in. The deal was done through a $1 contract - "you can have the house, as long as you leave the block clear for us". I don't remember actually ever collecting the dollar!

The roof tiles were removed and the house was cut in half, with asbestos management all the way. It left the block in the dead of night on the back of 2 trucks and arrived at it's new home on the outskirts of town at 2.30am. The new owners sent us an email the following day saying that their neighbours were still speaking to them, despite the ruckus!

Here it is the following day, waiting to settle into it's new life.

Her new country view

New roof, verandah and sleepout opened out, extensions to the back and paint!

Her new owners even gave her a name, as they love her so much.
'Abelia Cottage' - I am so glad you were saved sweetie!

A-M xx