Perth Voice Interactive

THIS early 1900s cottage is half the house it used to be, quite literally, with just two rooms behind the neat brick tuck-pointed front, the rest like a ruined monument, open to the elements.

In stark contrast, the bathroom is amazing, totally renovated with an uber-slick bathtub, stylish vanity and gorgeous black and white, almost mosaic tiles behind the shower.

I’d obviously missed a key part in the conversation with the real estate agent: “Am I at the right place? Half the house is missing,” I text him, a little shocked after walking around the back.

Seems there were complications with the previous builder and renovations stalled, leaving the home unfinished and semi-demolished.

But there’s so much to love here, including the solid-timber front door, which still has its big, old-fashioned key.

There’s jarrah floors and ceiling roses, and the old kitchen, now open to the elements, has its original black-iron metters wood stove.

There’s even a near-new reverse cycle in the main bedroom.

Almost across the road from the East Perth train station and metres from a swag of shops, cafes and bars on along the Beaufort Street strip, location alone gives this home a big tick.

Sitting on 457sqm a little vision, money and time would bring it back to its former glory, and new plans (you can see them at Acton’s office) have been approved and costed at around $200,000 to $250,000.

Or it could be bulldozed and the block, with its rear laneway access, subdivided (with council approval).

Which in my humble opinion would be a terrible waste of a potentially delightful home.

The garden is a barren wilderness, but even after a rebuild there’d be a heap of space to turn it into an oasis, with a couple of large trees well out of building range as a start up.

This could be the dream home for someone able to see what could be.

by JENNY D’ANGER

123 West Parade, Mt Lawley
offers
Wayne Heldt
0433 118 353
Acton Mt Lawley
9272 2488