Raddest Garage of the Day All-Time
Is it a car park? An outdoor living room? A home gym? Regardless, we like what this South Yarra double-fronted terrace has to offer. Listed by Nicole Gleeson and Michael Gibson of Kay & Burton South Yarra, 58 Tivoli Road has an understated Victorian Italianate facade hiding a well-renovated terrace. All yours for $2.5m+
The listing (and more pics): 58 Tivoli Road, South Yarra
Completely unsurprising giving the nature of the “subdued” market in Melbourne, The Age reported today on the diminishing number of new homes constructed in Victoria. In 2011, just shy of 150,000 homes were built (down from 176,000 in 2010); this amount being a far cry from the estimated 220,000 homes Victoria needs to build according to unnamed “experts” in the article. On top of that, construction of high rises have dipped considerably over the past two years to about half the rate of high rise construction in 2009.
One thing the article fails to articulate (although, does it really matter?): what do they classify as a high rise?
Farmhouse in Prahran? Say It Ain’t So!
Oh, but it is so! And it actually does look a bit like a farmhouse, complete with odd broom-thingy on the front porch and a very tired interior. In the inner-suburb of Melbourne otherwise known for its attached Victorian rowhouses, this property does in fact represent a pretty rare offering; the setback from the road (and gravel DRIVEWAY) make it quite unique. The original tile work, marble fireplaces, and “ancient” landscaping are definitely worth salvaging; the rest is in need of a pretty hearty refresh. Murray Street is undoubtedly the nicest Prahran Street east of William St (and the second nicest street in the suburb to Grandview - which may as well be an Armadale or Malvern address given its distinctly suburban vibe; often-talked about “The Avenue” comes in at 3rd place in the hierarchy of Prahran streets). Murray St doesn’t see many listings, especially none of which are as sizeable as this farmhouse
RT Edgar agents Sarah Case and Jeremy Fox have the listing that’s going to auction on 22 February. They are expected $2m+, which in my mind is a very, very strong BUY.
The listing website: 22 Murray Street, Prahran
Things We’re Over: Wayne Gillespie
Seriously, Melburnians treat Wayne Gillespie as their very own Rosario Candela. But whereas Candela designed some of New York City’s most elegant apartment blocks, Gillespie’s claim-to-fame are cardboard boxes on Toorak’s court streets (usually near Hawksburn village in bowels of Toorak). Nonetheless, estate agents (like Matt Davis and Michael Gibson of Kay & Burton South Yarra) see the Gillespie pedigree as some magic claim to fame that will instantly sell their properties. 26 Woodside Crescent, a pretty damn prototypical Gillespie creation, hit the market today and possesses all the bland hallmarks that make Wayne so desirable; just check out the floor plan: I think I drew something like that in Year 4!
The ask? $2m+
The listing? 26 Woodside Crescent, Toorak
Other notably awful Gillespie’s on the market include 4a Ormsby (Toorak) listed by Lachlan Castran of Castran Gilbert and 11 Grosvenor St (Portsea) listed by Lloyd Robinson of RT Edgar Portsea.
They Want How Much in Geelong?!?
Geelong, Melbourne’s bayside industrial stepsister, just posted a listing asking a very full priced $4.2m. Situated on a double lot in the “posh” Newtown suburb, the home features Hawthorn brick (and a Hawthorn look, in general). However, it’s not even on Noble Street, arguably Newtown’s best street. Nor does it have much else going for it beyond its Victorian pedigree. For Geelong buyers in the $3m+ category, most would head down to the Surf Coast or to the Bellarine Peninsula (Curlewis, etc).
I’d say this house would be pushing its luck with a $2.5m asking. Dale Whitford of Whitford has the listing.
The listing: 35-37 Virginia Street, Newtown
(Source: they-want-what-in-geelong)
Which Marne St Apartment Would You Nab?
Hot on the heels of South Yarra’s top ranking in Domain’s liveability rankings, we have three choice apartments in South Yarra’s Botanic Garden’s precinct, all priced well above the $1m mark. And seeing that 6/50 Marne St recently sold for 16% above the agent’s quote (damn agents and their under-quoting), I expect these three to be in hot demand. Here’s the run down:
1. 41/11-21 Marne St, listed by Lachlan Castran of Castran Gilbert. Celebrity alert! Well, celebrity landscape architect, that is. Paul Bangay, whose kick-ass gardens can be found everywhere from Point Piper to Toorak, is listing his Castle Towers “penthouse” apartment.
Pros: Nice, clean renovation; beautiful sight-lines and views; well-maintained block
Cons: Tiny master bedroom seems almost an afterthought
2. 3/6 Marne Street, listed by Cocoon Real Estate.
Pros: Small block; great proportions; nice detailing; easy floorplan to work with
Cons: Tired kitchen; needs a renovation; building doesn’t seem to be immaculately well-maintained
3. 3/1 Marne Street, listed by Hugh Hardy and Andrew Macmillan of Bennison Mackinnon-Armadale.
Pros: Great location; aesthetically-pleasing apartment block
Cons: The floors, dear God, those floors are awful; and it may gather some noise from Toorak Rd
Fawkner Park, South Yarra
Go figure, but South Yarra and East Melbourne retain top honours in Domain’s ranking of Melbourne suburbs based on “liveability”. Rounding out the top five are Armadale, Hawthorn East, and Toorak. An extended look at the list reveals a not-so-surprising preference for expensive, inner city suburbs.
The Top 10:
1. South Yarra (no surprise)
2. East Melbourne (it’s convenient, sure, but I’d prefer Richmond)
3. Armadale (maybe if I was a pram-weilding mum)
4. Hawthorn East (period homes take this suburb far)
5. Toorak (blah, bring a book.)
6. Clifton Hill (nice to see Clifton Hill getting some well-deserved credit)
7. Parkville (seeing I used to live here, I partially agree, but it’s an isolated residential pocket)
8. Ormond (i forgot this suburb even exists)
9. Fairfield (whaaaa???)
10. Hampton (i guess it is nice being by the water)
Direct link here
$12m+ Hopes for Mornington Peninsula Institution Residence
Rollo Moore and Prue McLoughlin of Kay & Burton Flinders nabbed this Merricks listing. The property was completed in 2007 after “four years of planning and consturction” (likely the victim of some lazy planners and construction crew) and the owners want $12m+ for the SJB Architects-designed house.
Pros: Beautiful location; well situated; nice view-lines; the entrance is definitely very cool.
Cons: Five kitchens? No thank you; hyper polished grey ironbark wood floors look cheap and dated; exterior railings look institutional; the whole house rubs off more as provincial art gallery than high-design modernism. Oh, and it’s called Cunana. Lame name. Better luck next time.
Recommendation: Either purchase a block of land elsewhere on the peninsula and build your own pad for far less than this bulky box or save yourself $7m and buy this dude in Point Leo.
PS. What is up with that bed in the master bedroom?!? Yikes!
Great Primer on Victorian Architecture
I promise my next post will be NSW-focused. But this overview of historic architecture from Heritage Victoria is just too good to pass up. It walks the viewer through the overarching architectural styles common in Melbourne. All styles are also common in Sydney as well (with the exception of far fewer examples of Early-Victorian north of the oval/field dividing line). Did I mention they have floor plans too?!? FLOOR PLANS!
Mansion with a Back Story
Today we travel to faux-elite Melbourne; Caulfield North to be exact. And this chunk of real estate offers all the meat and fixins: murder, bankruptcy, subdivision, and a house-flip!
Although the suburban mansions of boom time Melbourne once stretched down Orrong Road in Caulfield North south from Toorak (see Labassa), Rosecraddock sits oddly east from any semblance of prime Caulfield North (with several notable exceptions, most Orrong Road mansions in Caulfield North have been subdivided, razed, or turned into academic institutions). It is in part its isolation from other prime land that has enabled to lay in tact for so long. Additionally, Rosecraddock is not simply an 1880s Boom Period mansion of Toorak or Orrong Road; it actually far predates the Victorian Italianate stylings of the likes of Lambassa as it was built in 1857, although age doesn’t always redeem a less-than-stellar location or a neighborhood in need of a bit of love. Regardless, flash forward 130 years from Rosecraddock’s construction and a colourful character by the name of Peter Shellard purchased the then-14-bedroom mansion for $1.4m in 1984. He became notorious in the neighborhood for his eccentric behavior and ill-treatment of his property (keeping “ponies, many car parts, and beehives” on his property). Classy fellow. Apparently he was so disliked that he was murdered in the house in 2005 (by his girlfriend and two “drug taking” accomplices, no less.
After his death, Rosecraddock and its 2 hectares (8,857 square metres) of land were sold to former television presenter Simone Semmens for $7.8m. Semmens successfully subdivided the land into six housing lots. As far as my research indicates, Semmens successfully sold off two small lots (of approximately 650 square metres each) for prices in the low $1-millions in 2009. That said, it looks like the properties may still be languishing on the market.
Maintaining the largest chunk of land (5,500 square metres) and the original house, it appears that Semmens dumped a truckload of money into the mansion in order to flip it before our very eyes. Nicole Gleeson and Michael Gibson of Kay&Burton South Yarra have the listing. The mansion now houses “6 bedrooms, 6 bathrooms, tennis court, pool”, parking for 6 cars and refurbished stables that now house a guest house.
Overall, this is a pretty impressive flip. Maintaining what appears to be the original wood flooring is a great touch, as is the modern, understated kitchen and master bathroom. As always, it’s disappointing to see carpeting in the master bedroom. Also lost in the flip is the original blue stone trim around the base of the house (as seen in the before pictures). But overall, nice work. It’s far better renovation that “Little Milton” over at 26 Albany Road in Toorak, which seems to me to be a Templestowe renovation that just so happens to have historic pedigree, a 3142 post code, and a Paul Bangay celebrity garden. Rosecraddock appears to be listed around the $10m mark, which is definitely a pretty penny for its location. And at that price, would likely give the owner a fair profit on his/her investment. That said, I eyeball it at $8m.
Perfect for: A big family with a taste for history and space and without the need of a Toorak address.
