‘I accidentally bought THAT house’: Husband’s shock impulse buy

A Brisbane man told his wife he was going to a dilapidated house auction to ‘see what it goes for’, then called back in shock saying, ‘I accidentally bought it’. They weren’t allowed to demolish it, but three years later the place is a masterpiece.

The house as it was when Mr Meade told his wife they now owned it.

An Aussie man told his wife he was going to a dilapidated house auction ‘to see what it goes for’, then called her back sheepishly saying, ‘I accidentally bought it’.

Chris Meade and his wife Rachel co-signed the ownership papers before they even got their first real glimpse inside the crumbling mess they now owned which had been falling apart for over a decade.

“When we first moved to Brisbane, our kids went to kindergarten in that street,” Mr Meade said.

“We used to walk past that house and it looked like that back then. It was always run down, paint peeling off. It looked like a renovators’ dream, an old, beautiful Queenslander.”

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25 Mullin Street, Paddington, ready for a massive upgrade.

You could barely see the old Queenslander from the corner.

 

“I thought that would be a great little project one day. I wonder who owns it,” which on that auction day was answered with his own name.

The century old property was theirs for $1.415m, but they would be up for much more than that to bring the home back from the brink of destruction.

“That threw us into an unplanned renovation. It did take us a couple of years to get the approvals through because it is a protected character rating on the facade.”

It took two years to get the planning sorted, and a year to rebuild the home known as Moreton Cottage.

“The guys have done a great job,” said Mr Meade, “the builder is a really close friend of ours. He’d previously done our renovation in Red Hill so we knew the quality of his work. So Phil came on the journey with us, and he’s done a fantastic job. The quality of the build is amazing.”

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The rebuild itself took a year, but planning took two.

Mr Meade, who is a builder of commercial property, was not fazed by all the work that needed to go into the home.

And it was substantial, he said, plus “it was right at the crux of post Covid escalation and uncertainty”.

The couple are yet to do the ultimate sums on how much the rebuild has cost.

“We’re still counting, to be honest,” Mr Meade said. “I’m not exactly sure where it’s going to land. It’s certainly been a labour of love.”

Chris and Rachel Meade outside the now complete Moreton Cottage in Paddington, Qld.

“We just love the building and the location. It’s our neighbourhood, so we feel like we’re doing a service too because it was a bit of an eyesore right across the road from the main school. It needed to be brought back and respected.”

He said it would definitely have been easier to knock it down and start again, but the result has been well worth it, filling the couple with pride at what has been achieved.

They’ve now put it up for sale via real estate agents David Treloar and Dwight Ferguson of Ray White – Metro North.

25 Mullin St, Paddington, as it stands today with its classic century old features retained throughout such as the revitalised windows.

Moreton Cottage at 25 Mullin St, Paddington, has been preserved for another couple of generations through a massive renovation program. Picture: Supplied.

One of three bathrooms with the classic Queenslander windows retained.

“We’ve really focused on making the most of every square inch of the block,” Mr Meade said. “Hopefully it’s a sports lover or someone who loves the fact that you can see Suncorp out the window. From one of the bedroom windows, you looking straight at it.”

Mr Treloar described the property as having been “revitalised and reborn” keeping the original character facade yet adding new life though a modern array of architectural features.

The structural engineer worked overtime to ensure views like these could be captured.

The Brisbane city skyline seen from the veranda.

The rebuild has lifted the entire corner, not just the upper level of the home.

The rebuilt luxury home has city views and sits on a corner block, allowing it double street access. It has a chef’s kitchen with a specially built glass wall to take in the city views, a butler’s pantry, wine cellar, outdoor BBQ, open-air terrace, swimming pool, four bedrooms, three bathrooms, an internal laundry and a two-car garage.

The home the Meades have recreated will go to auction at 5.30pm on Wednesday December 18, 2024.

Ready for new owners.

25 Mullin St, Paddington:

Owners – Chris & Rachel Meade

Real estate agent – Dave Treloar from Ray White Metro North

Builder – Phil Maher from Maher Building Group

Architect – Nick Clark from Clements Clarke Architects

Structural engineer – Joe O’Brien from Northrop Consulting Engineers

Town planner – Adam Nagel from Plan A Town Planning

Auction: 5.30pm, Wednesday December 18, 2024.

The city skyline was key to the build.

Ready to beat the heat this summer.

Originally published as ‘I accidentally bought THAT house’: Husband’s shock impulse buy