Starting Blocks-Some Before Shots

These photos show parts of the house when we purchased it and just after settlement. This is a base line so we can go back and revisit how far we have come after each change. Some radical decisions had to be made as far as removing some trees, mostly old pencil pines that had decades worth of bird and vermin excrement in and under them, along with totally eliminating any light coming into the house. The property had been vacant for at least three years, smelled of damp, had signs of mould in high spots and hadn’t been painted for a very long time. Apart from that, all is relatively in pretty good shape on the surface. Some work needs to be done on the stumps but reports indicate it shouldn’t be dramatic. We hope to bring the front section of the house back to close to original state and extend the back of the house with an extension that is complimentary to the period. No stainless splash-backs going in here!

Front verandah facing north

Originally built for taking X-Rays, this room later became a surgery for the weekly dentist visit. It will be turned into my preserving, pickling, bottling, cheese making, home brew and outdoor bar area. The infilled area of the verandah was where the ‘on call’ nurse was stationed.

The magnificent lounge with original Wunderlich pressed tin ceiling, cedar bay window and 10″ cedar skirting. Dado added later and fireplace surround also an updated extra.

Kitchen viewed towards passageway. Solid fuel stove was important to ensure Doctor always had ready access to hot water. Still works like a charm!

Kitchen cupboards. This makes us giggle as Sheila was ‘knee high to a grasshopper’ and we can hardly reach the first shelf let alone the ones that go up to the original 11’6 ceilings. Under this bottom unit, the original brick cellar is still in place. This was used for storing, cheese, butter and milk before refrigeration was readily available. The old laundry hoist hooks are also still in the ceiling, this would have housed a pulley system where washing was put onto rails similar to a clothes horse and pulled up high where it captured the heat from the stove and dried. Once dry the rails would have been lowered and dry washing removed.

This front room was used as an office for Doc Fergie and had a quirky little wiring system that enabled him to relay his beloved music from his record player in here through to a speaker in the lounge that was housed into the dado. I think he would have loved e-music! This room will become a guest bedroom refurbished in original style.

Passageway looking north. At the front end of this there are two cute little doors that acted as dividers between the doctor’s area and the family residence. Not sure how we will integrate these doors but we will!

There were electric strip heaters mounted on most of the internal walls (see above doorway in passage). that we were scared to pull the ‘on’ strings for, they just looked dangerous and I can’t believe they could ever actually add value to the comfort factor of warmth. As an accredited home sustainability assessor, every cell in my being just went urrggghhhh!

Gate into side access lane with excessive growth from all sorts of vines around the old garage which is hidden behind the wisteria on the left.