Listed with Carol James Real Estate in 2023 for $540,000, this long-neglected Federation home has been renovated and upgraded for an elderly woman to age in place. Photos: John Thistleton (main) and Carol James Real Estate (inset).
Adapting an old home for his elderly mother moving into Goulburn after 60 years on a farm, a valuer and property consultant has lifted the northern end of Auburn Street with a thoughtful restoration.
His mother doesn’t want her name in this story. But she’s happy to acknowledge her son’s extraordinary efforts finding a home with characteristics reminiscent of the architecture she lived in before moving to the farm, within walking distance to shops and services.
So damaged from plane tree roots and neglect, the house should have been demolished. But that would have meant losing its century-plus characteristics.
“Given Mum’s age, we were looking to balance a manageable size house that would accommodate all of her furniture, some of which belonged to her parents including a nine-seater dining table and sideboard, Moran couch and chair, and a piano belonging to her mother,” her son Jeffrey said.
“The house needed a significant rebuild from the ground up including restoration of the front verandah using recycled and new bricks, new bullnose verandah, new roof, new matching skirting boards and picture rails and refurbishing all the original windows,” he said.
Modified over the years with multiple levels, the four-bedroom home had an enclosed sunroom, small lounge room and a rear living area that incorporated the main bathroom, separate kitchen, small annex laundry and toilet at the rear.
Stonemason Ray Baxter and carpenter Lachlan Dent helped with the renovation.
“We demolished the rear living area and deck to create a large eat-in kitchen and deck with a separate formal dining room,” Jeffrey said. “The rear deck has lots of natural light and views of the surrounding hills of Goulburn and revitalised garden.”
A gleaming new AGA stove warms his mother’s heart as well as the kitchen.
Raising a family while running a farm, she had loved her trusty AGA stove. Aside from cooking and heating over many years, it had dried clothes and warmed orphaned lambs. Leaving it behind was hard, but the replacement stove helped.
The tradies converted a small bedroom into an oversized bathroom with room for accessible toilet and shower recess with a built-in seat/shelf. They kept the pressed metal ceiling, creating a sense of space.
“While slightly unusual in configuration, it is a beautiful bathroom with a large bell-shaped light that hangs down, slightly off centre so it all works well,” the new owner said.
Work begins on demolishing the front verandah. Photo: Supplied.
A hydronic heating system heats the place at a constant temperature for comfort in all the rooms.
The original fireplaces had been removed and boarded up.
One day helping a neighbour, they discovered original fireplaces from her house had been removed but stored in a shed out the back. Fortuitously, the neighbour no longer wanted them.
“So we’ve been able to restore the fireplaces with mantle pieces typical of the period,” Jeffrey said.
Using sugar soap and pressure hose, old paint, nicotine stains and grime were scrubbed off the pressed metal ceilings which needed repairs before a quality paint was applied.
Three weeks of heavy sanding were needed to remove cupping in the floorboards.
Reinforced concrete pad footings, brick piers and a new verandah replaced the original one. The original slate/sandstone footings were reused in a new retaining wall at the front that frames the driveway and garden.
None of the original timber was thrown out. It was used to replace damaged boards and create a new threshold into the bathroom.
Any original bricks not reused to rebuild the front facade were laid in the new paved pathway leading into the house and border edges for gardens.
They found discarded iron inserts from the brick piers on the front fence which were spread through the garden. Enlisting Goulburn Engineering they were able to restore the original fence pieces including converting and reshaping old gates to replace sections that were missing.
Over the years a large oak tree had encroached into the building. At one point they considered relocating the garage to save the tree, but this would have created other problems. So they sought permission to remove the tree and place the new garage where the original shed sat. It has a large storage space to keep items that represent 60 years of memories.
“We thought it was essential that Mum not feel she had to leave anything behind that was important to her,” Jeffrey said.
