Hamlyn Heights homestead renovation poised to break suburb record

The original circa 1871 Hamlyn Heights homestead has been sympathetically extended to create a luxurious family haven with a pool and putting green.

Hamlyn Heights’ original homestead has entered the modern age with a stellar renovation that’s poised to break the suburb’s price record.

‘Oakfield’, a Victorian-era residence built in 1871 by notable Geelong resident John McCurdy, occupies a sprawling 1491sq m block at 334 Church St.

The five-bedroom residence has been sympathetically extended to create a luxurious family haven with a swimming pool, in-ground trampoline and putting green.

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The extension continues the classic style of the original 1871 residence.

The swimming pool works brilliantly in the decidedly not square rear yard.

Selling agent James Wilson has set a $2.7m to $2.8m price guide for an expressions of interest campaign closing on November 19.

If it achieves that price, the property would smash the Hamlyn Heights record by close to $1m.

A contemporary two-storey house at 2 Heritage Drive, which sold for $1.815m in 2018, is currently the suburb’s most expensive residence.

An extension, designed by architect Jessica Clark, is the centrepiece of the reimagined Church St homestead, which once presided over a much larger rural property.

The house has only changed hands twice in 154 years, with the vendors purchasing it in 2019 and completing the renovation during Covid lockdowns in 2020.

High ceilings add to the sense of space in the main living area.

The house has a great indoor-outdoor connection.

The vendor loves classical, traditional interiors.

“I love an old house and the bones of it and the land of it were beautiful and very enticing,” the vendor said.

“I dabble in a bit of interiors and my husband and I could see that we could live in it while adding the extension because the original part of the house was beautiful, liveable, functional and practical.”

With three boys, they wanted extra space but were also keen to respect the home’s heritage.

The answer was to knock down an old lean-to laundry to make way for a dog-leg addition that wraps around the original footprint.

It carves out space for a vast open-plan kitchen, dining and living area with 3.9m ceilings and French doors onto dual decks, as well as a lavish main bedroom suite and impressive laundry/mudroom.

The original section of the house is now a children’s wing.

The considered design of spacious laundry and mudroom was not an afterthought.

The second living area also has direct deck access.

The vendor said installing a swimming pool, spa and vine-covered pergola had transformed the backyard into a brilliant sun-drenched entertainment space.

“It’s a really good space that you can go to from the kids’ area or the bigger kitchen area and you can see the kids in the pool from anywhere,” she said.

“And then you have got this humungous area, the size of a tennis court, still at the front that’s all grass.

“We have got the in-ground trampoline and basketball ring on the carport so my husband and the three boys often do two-on-two and they often have spas every day of the year.”

The family has one its teenagers to thank for the putting green, which the keen golfer constructed as part of a school project.

“It was a cool way to use a dead space. It’s got three holes so the kids use it, the dogs sunbake on it,” the vendor said.

Originally published as Hamlyn Heights homestead renovation poised to break suburb record