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A tour of our new old house

Back in December we fell in love with a little Queensland cottage that had been advertised for removal.  Even though we had agreed that we would NEVER own another Queenslander, after learning first-hand the challenges of rotten wood and asbestos boards in our last house, we both just can't get over how lovely they are.  So here we are again, with a little Queenslander, and its taken 7 months to organise to move it to our property, it arrived in two pieces a few weeks ago.  Now the revivalist has stumped the house and joined it back together almost seamlessly.  I promised that when the removalist was finished I would take you for a tour, so please join me in a tour of the inside of our little house.


Like many Queenslanders, this house started with a wrap around veranda, which is very efficient for keeping the house cool.  Over the years the parts of the veranda have been built in and extended to add the kitchen and bathroom (these would both has been separate buildings originally, kitchens had a habit of burning down).  There is still plenty of veranda though, and we've orientated the house so that the built-in side ('sunroom' on the plan), faces South, so it will stay cool all year, and we can open up all the window (fly screened!) for a lovely breeze.
Here's the current floor plan
and here's what it would had been like originally,
the red is the original house, the green is the original veranda.

this is a view of the 'sunroom'

the bathroom
more bathroom
the kitchen
veranda off the kitchen
looking down the hallway from the lounge
(camera on an angle, not the house!)
main bedroom - the RED carpet has to go!!
main veranda
main veranda looking to laundry, ignore all the plumbing!
Some of my favourite little bits and pieces


cupboard in the sunroom

the catches on the cupboard

art deco door latch

retro kitchen cabinets

MASSIVE pantry, so excited to fill this up!
hook out on the veranda

fancy 'breeze ways' above the bedroom doors

latches on the inside doors
old light switch

love the details on the hooks!

little latch to hold up the sash windows
windows above some of the doors swing open for more airflow
Things that are not so great

the kitchen sick is stupidly low, it will be moved....
vertical flouro lights in the bedroom.  No.
plush red carpet in the lounge and main bedroom,
it is in embarrassingly good condition.
Also not sure if we'd like another woodstove, but this heater is nearly new.

this cut in the ceiling of the sunroom is the only evidence of the move
this is the two pieces that moved
There is LOTS of work to do inside, but first we just need to focus on the plumbing (installing rainwater tanks and septic system) and the electricity (needs to be fully rewired).  Then we can think about painting in the inside and fixing up the bathroom and kitchen.  

What do you think?  Have you renovated an old house?  Do you find their charms irresistible like we do??
 
monday's homestead barn hop

Comments

  1. Our farm house was built in the late 1700s and I wish it had been in as good condition as your place. I really like the look of it, you guys have made a good move getting it moved. It will take work but being off the ground as it is, you have good access. Thanks for the tour.

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  2. oh my goodness, i dont know where to start - jealousy is a good place!!. how lucky you are!!. what a gorgeous wee place, all that original detail, the pantry, the retro kitchen wall cabinets.
    my dream is to relocate a 'used' house onto some land, but i suspect it will always remain a dream.
    i cant wait to see how the story of this wee charmer evolves.

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  3. Isn't it funny - there is something in all those photos I can relate to in other houses we've lived. Especially the retro kitchen cabinets and door handles. I loved the 3 rounded shelves off the square kitchen cabinet - I used to love placing my pasta and rice jars there for easy access. Plenty of work to do but at least it's there now and once you get services connected, you'll look forward to visiting the property for a cuppa after checking the cows.

    When you said you weren't sure if you wanted another woodstove, are you intending not to have one at Cheslyn Rise at all. Or are you planning to take your oven woodstove from the place you're living now - therefore giving you two?

    One other thing (I had to laugh) in your first paragraph you wrote revivalist, instead of removalist. I was thinking how they might have been praying for your stumps to rise up from the ground, lol. ;)

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    Replies
    1. I love the rounded shelves too, but we probably have to remove that cabinet as its too low, I'm wondering how to incorporate it into the final kitchen somehow...

      We love having a woodstove and we definitely want some kind of wood heating (seeing as we have acres of trees), but trying to decide whether to replace the realtively new woodstove with one we can cook in, or install a second one in the kitchen for cooking...

      Will fix the typo, thanks!

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  4. Your new house looks wonderful! I love Queenslanders, I'd definitely want to live in one if I lived in Queensland. It's a pity there aren't any in Victoria (although with good reason I know!) I bet there are some amazing floor boards under all that carpet and vinyl. Maybe you can justify removing the red carpet if you use it in worm farms or for weed suppression or similar around the farm?

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  5. Oh wow I love it, so many lovely bits and pieces in there

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  6. WOW, HOW EXCITING. WHEN YOUR ALL DONE DOING ALL THE FIXING THAT YOU'LL BE DOING IT'LL BE A PALACE. ALSO BEING YOUNG AND USING YOUNG IDEA THERE'S SO MUCH YOU CAN DO WITH THE INSIDE. I JUST LOVE IT. I LOVE THE WRAP AROUND WHAT WE CALL PORCH. TO BE ABLE TO SIT OUT THERE AND ENJOY NATURE. HOW FUN.JUST ENJOY AND TAKE YOUR TIME. I LOVE THE FIXTURES. THANKS FOR SHARING. GIVE THE COWS A GREAT BIG MOO FROM ME.LOL. GRANNY
    USA

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  7. What an exciting venture! I love all the little details and the thought that went into the design to ensure good air flow.
    If you hate the carpet now, then you will probably always hate it. When we moved into our house there was a carpet in the hall, up the stairs and through the landing that I absolutely hated but there was nothing wrong with it so we couldn't justify getting rid of it (and it belonged to my Mother in law so a bit tricky). It took me nearly 20 years before we took it out and I was so pleased when it went that I wondered why we hadn't done it earlier.

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  8. Snap!. We've just pulled a retro kitchen cabinet out of our Girl Guide Hut that looks very similar to yours. Same style with that ribbed glass.
    ...but we are outside Brisbane so I guess they were a good deal in the day. Ha!
    Love Queenslanders.

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  9. It looks stunning, and I love all those old fittings which it came with :)

    Wishing you much happiness in your new home :)

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  10. Love old Queenslanders. Love the timber boards, the little breezeway windows, the latches. So much character! I look forward to seeing what you do with it in making it your home.

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  11. I often look in the classifieds and admire all the old houses available for removal.
    So many have lovely retro kitchens, beautiful timber floors and windows and decorative fretwork.
    Your new place looks to have great bones. x

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  12. Love Queenslanders and this one is a beauty, despite some of its less than beautiful features. You will make it your own I know.

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  13. It's ADORABLE! i just love it. (i would love a low sink b/c i'm so short)
    :-)

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  14. Wow I LOVE it!! I can see how you couldn't help but buy it. That sun room is amazing so is the veranda you so need an old wooden rocking chair!!! You are going to be so happy and at home here. Mx

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  15. I am SO loving your new home. Those latches I haven't seen in years and remember having cabinet latches just like that in my very first apartment after high school. I would so love to have a sun room. I agree with the red carpeting, has to go. I can't wait to see the house all fixed up and you settled in with that pantry filled with your canned goods.

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  16. How exciting! I love the feel of the house (albiet empty!) I bet you'll do wonderful things in there! :)
    It reminds me a lot of my Gran's house... the latches, cupboards etc. Beautiful! :) Good luck with the journey of restoration and revival of this old gem! :) Look forward to following your adventures!

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  17. I love renovation projects! This looks likes it's going to be wonderful!

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  18. It's gorgeous. I love those elaborate breeze ways and your super large pantry, which you will fill up with your own produce I'm sure. I can see you guys in this house for a long time. 30 years from now it will have established trees around and the house will still look as right for the setting as it does now. Good choice!

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  19. What a gorgeous home! I especially love the retro kitchen and verandas. I'm looking forward to seeing what you do with the place.

    And following on from your comment on my post about finding joy in less- you are so right - about opportunities. Stopping to make the most of opportunities you have is so much wiser than racing to look for the next one. I'm guilty of that often.

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  20. I love, love, love your gorgeous old house! It is so spacious and light. And that sunroom is to die for, I would love one of those :)

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  21. Thanks for all the comments! We will get there slowly, no pressure at the moment, just want to enjoy the process and save our pennies :)

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