$6.8m for home valued at $3m
One of Christchurch’s heritage homes has sold for an eyewatering price thought to be a record in the Garden City.
The property on Glandovey Rd, Fendalton, had gone through a ‘‘ground-up renovation’’ before it was sold under the hammer on Thursday for $6.825 million. It had an RV of $3.15m.
The 374 square-metre 1930s home, placed on a prime 4961 sqm section, has five bedrooms, four bathrooms, multiple living rooms, a huge garage with workshop, a spa and heated saltwater pool, and large lawns with a stream at the boundary. A standout is the long driveway lined with trees planted in the 1890s.
It was fully insulated, doubleglazed and earthquake strengthened during the renovations, completed in 2016. Solar power and thermal heating were also added.
Bayley’s Canterbury General Manager Pete Whalan said as far as he was aware, it was the highest price ever paid for a Christchurch property and certainly the highest from an auction.
He said he had checked both anecdotally and with Real Estate Institute of New Zealand statistics, but it was possible a higher valued sale had happened off market.
Seller Ed Cook said the property had been in his family for 57
years and it had been passed on to another family that planned to look after it for a long time.
Before his, only one other family had owned it since it was built in 1933 after the Thornycroft estate was subdivided.
The property was raised well above the surrounding Wairarapa Stream on a welldrained shingle bank. The foundations had remained perfect after the earthquakes so they decided to renovate.
The extensive renovations were carried out by John and Amber Hamilton of John Hamilton Construction, who ‘‘put their undivided care, attention and craftsmanship into renovating the building to such a high standard’’, Cook said.
The work was driven by his desire to protect and preserve the property, which has ‘‘tremendous heart’’.
‘‘It was a project of love which meant the the building has been modernised and preserved for the next generation. It’s an outstand-
ing historic residence and there’s very few of those left after the earthquakes.’’
The home won the Registered Master Builders 2017 national sustainable home award and Canterbury house of the year.
Cook is currently living in the house. He says it is very warm and homely and a real pleasure to live in.
‘‘It’s practical and it has a lot of modern design features in it . . . but it’s a fusion of old-world scale and grandeur with modern technology, and it’s come up really nicely.’’
The view people saw while looking up the tree-lined driveway was very formal but the other side of the house was a warm, family space.
The sale price did not exceed his expectations
‘‘I think we met at a level that was a win-win for both parties.’’
Selling it was bitter-sweet and he was leaving with great sadness, but was happy to move on to the next stage of his life.
The new owners were a Christchurch family that wanted to keep it in the family for a long time, Cook said.
‘‘It’s a landmark property that will be in Christchurch’s heritage for the next 100 years.’’