New address for an old house
An 87-year-old house has found its forever home.
The art deco-style house, built in 1933, was facing demolition as part of the Southern Cross Hospital’s expansion when it was saved by New Plymouth district councillor Anneka Carlson and her partner, Holly Snowdon.
They fell in love with the Young St, New Plymouth, building and had it trucked about nine kilometres south to Omata.
They knew the moment they walked through the door that it was the house for them, Carlson said.
‘‘We were looking for a relocatable, but we were going to downsize. So we were looking for a small home, 60sqm or something.’’
Their new home is 234sqm, has five bedrooms, an attic with a skylight opening on the roof, and a laundry shute that goes from upstairs down into the kitchen.
Snowdon said they love the home’s character.
‘‘Some people like modern, we like a point of difference. We weighed the risk and the reward and reward outweighed the risk – for us anyway.’’
They are hoping to be in within two months, she said. ‘‘We want to try and make it look like it has always been here, bring it back to life.’’
The house has been put on 12 acres of land that the couple lease from Carlson’s parents.
‘‘We’ll eventually buy it,’’ Carlson said.
‘‘This project was for a year away and then this came up and there was a deadline. And it had to be moved from that spot. We had to get everything sorted.
‘‘I grew up on Sutton Rd, so it’s pretty cool to be back and building a bit of a life here on the same road I grew up on.’’
The house is at the bottom of a very steep hill and as they watched the movers manoeuvre it on to the site Carlson said she could feel her heart beating out of her chest.
‘‘There is no power yet. We just had to do enough to get it here. It’s been a crazy mission for the last month.’’
Eventually they will need to redo the chimneys, fix the front door and do the landscaping.
Carlson wouldn’t say how much the two-storey house cost, but it was built by Arthur Gilbert for 1500 pounds.
‘‘It’s been a crazy mission for the last month.’’
Anneka Carlson