Geelong West miner’s cottage’s 3m move helps boost value by almost $1m
An ambitious decision to pick up a boarded up miner’s cottage and move it three metres during a no expense-spared renovation has paid off for these Victorian homeowners
Moving an old miner’s cottage forward 3m on its Geelong West block has helped vendors add almost $1m to the value of their property.
Brady and Laura Lane opted to delicately reposition the “derelict” period home closer to Avon St to unlock extra space as part of a major renovation.
While watching it slide along metal bearers was a nerve-racking 10-minute experience, the manoeuvre proved a masterstroke that’s paid off handsomely.
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The couple just sold the renovated four-bedroom residence at auction for $1,487,500.
“It was a massive setback in the front yard and for the design parameters of keeping the house and renovating, it made it easy than knocking down and starting again,” Mr Lane said.
“It meant we could have a four-bedroom house with two living areas rather than a three-bedroom house with one living area because we moved it forward 3m.
“Maybe we could have saved some time by knocking it over but it’s nice to keep something.”
He said squatters had been living in the house, which had boarded up doors and windows when it last sold for $516,500 in 2020.
Its sustainable transformation, designed by Tim Adams of F2 Design, achieves an 8.6-star energy rating and is flush with high-end finishes.
Solid oak American floorboards, hand-blown glass, brass light fixtures, Venetian, lime-based plaster bathrooms walls and a rare kitchen bench top chosen from Artedomus’ Saria Collection are among features that attracted premium buyers throughout the campaign.
Mr Lane said he and his wife had expensive tastes and also invested behind the scenes with quality insulation, insulated concrete floors and low VOC paints to create a healthy home for their family.
Vaulted ceilings are a highlight of the open-plan rear living zone which overlooks the north-facing back yard, also home to a three-car garage.
The front section of the house offers a second lounge and four bedrooms, including the luxe main bedroom suite with a pink hued ensuite.
“There’s pink paving out the back as well. I’ve got a wife and two girls so it’s a very pink house but I’m not complaining,” Mr Lane said.
The Geelong Agency listing agent Mitchell Falzon said the quality of the renovation attracted a lot of premium buyers from Newtown but, with many waiting to sell their own homes, it was a Melbourne couple moving down to be near their daughter that stepped forward.
“From day dot they were just enthralled,” Mr Falzon said.
“Tim Adams designed this and he’s a real needle mover in the scene of sustainable real estate and this home specifically was a key note for a lot of professional meetings that he used to have with other architects and building designers to show them the capabilities and necessity for sustainable real estate and how you can be conscious of comfort too.”
He said many people attending inspections were looking for inspiration for their own renovation projects.
“It was certainly the quality and aesthetic that attracted people,” he said.
Originally published as Geelong West miner’s cottage’s 3m move helps boost value by almost $1m