Superbly Located & Extended Sandstone Villa – Circa 1900.
A rare opportunity exists to acquire this beautifully presented Villa in one of Unley (North’s) most admired avenues surrounded by magnificent homes showcasing many different building styles. Cosmopolitan Unley Road is just around the corner with its mix of shopping and dining options, while the CBD is within walking distance through the South Parklands which are also perfect for a kick of the football with the kids on the weekend or a ride on the BMX track just off Unley Road.
This beautifully presented family home offers excellent accommodation and a flexible floor plan to suit your requirements with up to four bedrooms – the Master suite with large walk in robe, equally large ensuite, fireplace, ceiling rose and deep decorative cornicing. Bedroom two, or alternative formal sitting room, is enormous and features a fireplace with built in shelves on either side while bedroom three has a convenient built in wardrobe. Bedroom four, or alternative formal dining room/home office, is also huge with a fireplace and built in shelves.
The front five rooms are very traditional with the character features you’d expect from a 1900 Villa. I love the entrance and hall way from the Tessellated front verandah with its decorative lace work and stain glass surrounding the front door to the wide hall with its double archway, ceiling rose and deep decorative cornices. 12 foot ceilings, thick solid walls and decorative skirtings and architraves give this Sandstone Villa some real history and personality.
An architecturally designed family room extension with lime washed timber ceilings was added to the rear of the property several years ago. With lots of glass and an open plan layout it suits today’s modern family and enables your family and guests to be a part of the action whether relaxing or entertaining. The kitchen is very large with lots of cupboards, a dishwasher and a cleverly hidden cellar perfect for that home wine cellar. A large breakfast bar overlooks the living and dining area with sliding door access to an elevated deck while a side door leads to a contemporary sandstone courtyard with slated timber screening and vine covered Pergola.
The family back yard has low maintenance easy care gardens, a large patch of lawn and a double garage with automatic roller door accessed via a valuable rear lane.
Desirable extras include ducted reverse cycle air conditioning, fully automatic irrigated gardens, security system, quality window treatments, gas hot water system and linen cupboard.
Superbly located and fastidiously maintained this much loved family home has been filled with many happy times and memories and now it’s time for another family to enjoy the convenience of this location and the character and charm this gorgeous home has to offer. An absolute pleasure to present with your viewing highly recommended.
-Some thoughts and history from the Vendor-
Around 1900, a Mr T W Ingham acquired six allotments on Palmerston Road, North Unley, and built six speculative sandstone “Villas”. All were in the same style but with variations in each design. Mr Ingham was a manufacturer of decorative plaster products and as a consequence all the houses featured elaborate cornices, roses, mouldings, etc.
12 Palmerston Road was one of this select group of houses which regrettably had been altered and modified in inappropriate ways over the years. In purchasing this property we had an opportunity to correct this situation.
Our approach was to reinstate the front five rooms and hallway to the original character (one room was sacrificed for an ensuite and walk in robe). Externally, the aluminium pan tile roof was replaced with corrugated iron, the veranda restored with new tessellated tiles and cast iron lattice work and painted in heritage colours. Internally, two new fireplaces of appropriate vintage to replace the “modernised” brick fire places, a new archway in the corridor, appropriate lights, door furniture and general repairs to the decorative plaster works.
Having satisfied the desire to reinstate this house to its original character, we chose to draw a line at the rear of the house and create the addition as totally contemporary architecture, consisting of a large open plan living and dining area with high ceilings and large sliding glass doors on to an elevated balcony. To one side is an intimate courtyard. There is no attempt to replicate or mimic any of the heritage features of the existing house. The additions stand alone as a statement of contemporary lifestyle.
We believe we have achieved, in this project, a successful marriage of heritage restoration and contemporary architecture without compromise.
Alexander Zadow – 0413 700 631
RLA 2006