November 2025
Found myself near that house in South Melbourne that was featured in Restoration Australia last year, which I only watched recently – as soon as they showed how decayed it was, I thought it’s probably so rotted that you might as well dismantle and rebuild mostly new – and that’s almost what they did !
Brave purchasers Paul and Jess Roche wanted to restore it, but all the weatherboards were replaced and inside, all the plaster was too. The base of the wall framing was too twisted so the only original material is the front wall, the upper framing, one ceiling rose, the fireplace and the stairs, all of which they had to pull out and put back again. (But I’d like to know why they had to replace the boards on the lane side with fibro, said it was for fire reasons – in case a car in the lane bursts into flame !?)
The end result is perfectly nice, though the verandah lacks any character – it would probably have been a little more ornate than that, maybe some cast iron or at least pointy topped pickets. It would probably not have been tiled, but I guess the modern all greys version is ok.
Inside it’s very nice, not over-designed or all white like some restorations. A bit surprised to see it’s up for sale right now, seems to often be the case for renovation shows they sell just after. It’s at 15 Martin Street if you want to see more.
Also yes it’s one of the very few two storey timber terraces, there’s another one very nearby just sold also going to need a lot of work.
Storey of Melbourne 