Latest news with #PakingtonSt
News.com.au
11 hours ago
- Business
- News.com.au
How a luxe makeover added $1.5m to Newtown home
The luxury renovation of a character house in central Newtown has been rewarded with a sale price close to $2.5m. The five-bedroom house at 17 Austin St had been sitting untouched for decades before the owners snapped it up almost five years ago. The kitchen and wallpaper appeared straight out of the 1950s in the period facade complete with a return veranda and feature turret. Geelong's $9m 'best home' on track to break record A contemporary rear extension that added new living spaces, a swimming pool and a top-to-bottom renovation worked with the fall of the block to create a fresh five-bedroom residence. Whitford, Newtown agent John Moran said the ' beautiful renovation ' was a key attraction during the campaign that ended last week when the buyers posted their best offer. 'It's an amazing house. A beautiful reno, a big family home, the pool and the landscaping,' he said. The location was also a drawcard, offering proximity to Newtown's main shopping strip on Pakington St, along with local primary and secondary schools being close by. The renovation added more than $1.5m to the value of the property. Mr Moran said despite the renovation, the house remains understated from the street. The five-bedroom, two-bathroom residence is essentially a new home that offers a beautiful blend of old and new, he said. As a result, it's well hidden from view behind a charming original weatherboard facade that remains largely unchanged. All the heritage signatures are still there in the bedrooms and front formal lounge (or potential fifth bedroom), from high ceilings and skirts to picture rails and open fireplaces. Built-in wardrobes have been added, including a his and her set in the spacious main bedroom, along with a modern ensuite, family bathroom and powder room. A clever courtyard and a high wall of glazing that rises up to meet a raked timber-lined ceiling that mirrors the finish of those found in the original rooms creates a sunny living area, even though it's a south-facing yard. The large sliding doors topped with extra windows bathe the open-plan hub in natural light and connect it to the pool, lawn, a paved entertainment area and a built-in barbecue. A designer kitchen, featuring stone benchtop, a butler's pantry with a second sink and family-sized oven, is the centrepiece of the dining and living area. It adjoins a sunroom, or flexible additional multipurpose room, with its own sliding doors onto the patio and internal access to the property's garage.
News.com.au
22-05-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Newtown ‘mullet house' nails tricky modern balancing act near Pako's Paris end
All is not as it seems at a high-end 'mullet house' that's hit the market just off the 'Paris end' of Pakington St in Newtown. The traditional weatherboard facade at 77A Saffron St has all the hallmarks of an original period home but is in fact just a new front for a striking contemporary townhouse. Vendors David and Rosie Ciola love modern design and had to be convinced about marrying old and new when knocking down a Californian bungalow on the block they bought 20 years ago. With a heritage overlay in place, they looked to neighbouring cottages for inspiration to come up with a sympathetic facade to conceal their modern entertainer. 'When we were designing it we weren't sure but now we love it, it just meets the streetscape beautifully,' Mr Ciola said. 'We have gone with the feature metal cladding, pitched roof and we introduced a bit of recycled brick and a double garage at the back, yet still maintained the feel of a timber cottage at the front in line with the heritage overlay.' The developer and builder, who runs D. Ciola Developments Pty Ltd, worked with an architect on the three-bedroom townhouse, which is selling through Jellis Craig Geelong agent Jeff Begg for $1.45m to $1.55m. A huge set of stacker sliding doors connects the main living area centrepiece to a courtyard, featuring recycled brick the couple hand-picked at a Melbourne salvage yard. Ms Ciola said they included all the features they would have liked in a townhouse built for themselves, such as lots of windows, including a kitchen servery, to maximise natural light and a large living area and kitchen with double ovens to feed their extended family. 'Being Newtown I think it deserved the high-end finishes,' Mr Ciola said. 'It is luxury – it's the hight quality floorboards and fixtures, it's a nice staircase, it's high ceilings, it's full height doors. 'That living area with those stackable doors and the interaction between indoor and outdoor, it works beautifully.' A full bathroom with a timber and stone curved vanity is located on the entry floor, alongside a home office, with another two bathrooms, including the luxurious ensuite, servicing the bedrooms upstairs. Mr Ciola said the floorplan was equally suited to professional couples, young families or retirees.
