Peek-A-Boo

Despite still having to endure many freezing cold nights, Spring has just popped out her tentative face here in South Australia & of course that means that the Real Estate market is starting to stir.  Adelaide may be the younger sibling to her older, brassier sisters in the East, but I reckon we truly are the little Star of the South. Lots of interesting architecture makes for a market that's never boring. And being the eternal sticky beak House Hag that I am, here's what's around at the moment. 

Love the first pic, a c.1895 sandstone Victorian return verandah villa in gracious College Park. Oooh that bay window!

This c.1880 Victorian house is just around the corner from us here in Stirling. Gotta love a circular drive.

A cutsie tootsie c.1935 English Tudor-style home on a monstrous land holding in swanky Unley Park. Those twin chimneys are awesome.

An early c.1842 Georgian homestead on a motza of land at Woodside in the Adelaide Hills.

The sweetest little c.1905 double-fronted Edwardian sandstone cottage in trendy Hyde Park. Love the eyelash verandah.

A fabulous early c.1843 Australian Colonial homestead complete with sweeping verandahs in lovely Highgate. A big sigh over the slate tiled roof.

Back to the Adelaide Hills for this c.1882 sprawling Victorian homestead at Crafers. Added on at various times over the years, it's a treat. 

As only Adelaide can do - a c.1905 Victorian sandstone return rerandah villa in genteel Walkerville. Lavish wrought iron on the bullnose verandah is sooo traditional.

Right down on The Esplande at Grange, with views straight out to the beautiful blue waters of Spencer Gulf, is this ripper c.1882 boom bluestone Victorian Terrace house on the far right of the group. With 4 levels it's a dream property. 

Back to Stirling for this c.1908 Edwardian Queen Anne villa on a large land holding. For long-time Hedgies it may look familiar, as it's been featured in one of my very amateur Come Walk Around Stirling posts with my dodgy knee & even dodgier camera.

Now this is will indulge the special needs of our mate Heidi, who is in desperate need of a sea-change from Burton, Texas to the glorious Clare Valley. Here's your new house - Spring Hill Farm. A fabulously renovated c.1850 sandstone homestead with a couple of hectares of grapes chucked in for good measure.

So, do any of these beauties particularly catch your eye, we'd love to know? And if you are one of my lovely ex-pat readers sitting in another part of the world drooling & feeling homesick, wipe those tears away & send me along to bid for you on your Adelaide house! It's the weekend dear Hedgies, so go enjoy!

Images: Real Estate

Back To Basics

I received an email from an irate Hedgie the other day, telling me that The Hedge had gone 'off piste' so to speak. That this was supposed to be a blog about renovations & it had become something very different & he/she wasn't too happy. Well dear anon Hedgie, you are of course correct, so apologies for the stumble & here's an update of where MOTH's up to. This is how the final room upstairs to be completed looks this morning, pretty dodgy aye. But there are no brown/red brick walls or Mission Brown beams, so I'm happy!

It is the big long room we've always used as a home office, although now that I'm off to another office in the city every day, MOTH's delighted as it's his & his alone. In a previous incarnation it was used as a consulting room by The Hedge's original Owner/Builder, a G.P. It has a separate entrance so his patients could make a quick & discreet exit. It has no heating or cooling & is like a mortuary in Winter. No pun to the good Dr. intended.

The room has a full bank of the original c.1972 book cases down the long wall. We've ummed & aahed about what to do with them, but they are really useful & virtually indestructible, so hey, they'll stay.

Like all the other rooms here at The Hedge it has this weird, weird 3-panel incredibly high window. The room is a bookend twin in dimensions & appearance to the Master Bedroom, which is downstairs & at the other end of the house. MOTH won't drop the ceiling in here, as we want it to resemble it's twin. I do like symetry! We're on the downward run here - finish the painting including the book cases, add a split system AC, chuck some carpet down, get Miss Richfields to wave her magic wand with curtains & a Roman etc.

And much to my amazement, a trip to Ikea for a huge buy-up of matching file holders, as suggested by MOTH. 'Mills, we couldn't possibly put back all those disgusting mis-matching coloured files & 3-rings.' Yep, I'm still in a state of disbelief that a statement like that came from his lips.

    

Work has been crazy, we moved offices 3 weeks ago & it nearly killed me. We've only gone 2 suburbs - from Glenunga to Norwood (for Adelaide Hedgies), but it's like we've landed on a different planet. The Builders start the big refit soon, so I'm shaking at the thought of all the plaster dust & noise, but it will be worth it. Baby Gracie is now 14 weeks & is keeping us all entertained. Spring is beginning to appear in the Hills & boy, do we have some work to do in the garden. So how are you? I'd love to hear. It's the weekend dear Hedgies, so go enjoy!