A completely transformed home at New Lambton has sold for more than $2 million, just one week after hitting the market.
The home at 71 Freyberg Street, previously known to locals as the 'Garden House', sold prior to auction for $2.15 million with Todd Mason of McGrath New Lambton.
The sale price was well above the guide of $1.9 million to $2 million.
The vendor purchased the property, which was two registered lots at 71-73 Freyberg Street on 1,250 square metres, in 2020 and undertook significant renovations and extensions to the existing house at number 71. The end result is a luxury, modern home that blends new additions with original features.
"It would have been challenging to replicate the original brickwork, so we felt as if a modern extension would still fit with the overall property," the vendor said.
"This extension allowed us to incorporate north-facing windows which makes the living areas bright all year round.
"A large side and back deck for entertaining was added which is perfect to appreciate the gardens and bird life in the area."
The project was expected to take six months but it blew out to 12 due to lockdowns and supply shortages.
"The scope ended up getting bigger and bigger the more we fell in love with the home so we kept increasing the scope to compliment the existing features," the vendor said.
"We could tell the previous owners had put a lot of love into the property and we wanted to pay respect to the garden and outdoor spaces."
The property includes a three-bedroom, two-bathroom main residence and a granny flat.
Set on just under 700 square metres, features include an open plan living and dining area, a family room with high square set ceilings, underfloor heating in the bathroom and an outdoor entertaining area with an outdoor kitchen and pizza oven.
One of the drawcards is the established tropical-style gardens.
In fact, it was the garden that drew the vendor to the property with its stag horns, tree ferns, palm grove and bromeliads.
"The large grass tree is the garden central piece around which the entire extension was designed," they said.
"The garden was very overgrown at the time we bought the property, however, every time we visited the home during the inspections, we would fall in love with something different.
"The home was a hidden oasis, very private with secret pathways and water dragons. We felt as if the gardens were enchanted, and we wanted to retain as much of that as possible."
The vendor is currently building a new home next door at number 73.
