Looking to buy a restored Melbourne heritage home? This one was on 'Restoration Australia'

• Owners: Paul and Jess Roche
• The property: Restored 1880s weatherboard home with contemporary additions
• Address: 15 Martin Street, South Melbourne, Victoria
• Auction: 6pm, December 4
• Agent: Jellis Craig Port Phillip, Simon Gowling 0422 234 644

In 2020, when architect Rebecca Naughtin consulted the current owners of 15 Martin Street, South Melbourne, it was over Zoom from her study in Phillip Island, Victoria.

The ABC had recently been in touch – asking if she had any relevant projects to feature on the television show Restoration Australia – but it was only after meeting with Paul and Jess Roche that she’d have something to put forward.

After

Before

The Roches had just bought a two-storey weatherboard home, built in the 1880s.

It hadn’t been lived in for 70 years: vines grew throughout the walls and ceiling, and the top of the house leaned into the neighbour’s yard.

“It was a real wreck,” Naughtin says, adding that you could have fallen through the floor stepping over the threshold.

“We called it the Jumanji House … that was our nickname for the project because it was held together by plants.

“But from there, you’d start seeing the bits and pieces that you could retain.”

Then began the process of deciding what was salvageable and what wasn’t, with RM Building & Design Group tackling the renovation.

Naughtin’s philosophy has always been to retain as much as possible. Given the home’s heritage value, she wanted to apply this ethos even in the face of obvious disrepair.

All it took was some creative problem-solving: namely, taking design cues from the smaller period home next door, constructed by the same builder in the late 19th century.

The front verandah, for example, had been modified, so Naughtin designed a new one based on the neighbouring dwelling.

To clad the extension at the rear, copper was chosen to match the building’s existing copper pipes; as it aged, the material would blend into the heritage style, appearing much older than it was.

The Roches restored all the original ceiling roses themselves, and Naughtin’s team brought the central staircase back to its former glory.

The skirting boards were replaced with Tasmanian oak, while a showstopping quartzite bench brings understated luxury to the new kitchen.

Naughtin’s favourite features are the steel-framed doors connecting the indoor living and outdoor al fresco spaces, but the colour palette also gets special mention.

“That eucalypt green – not having white walls! It’s stunning,” she says. “Especially with the timber joinery.”

Soaring ceilings and fireplaces hark back to the home’s early era, but the renovations include modern luxuries (like keyless access and solar power) for the next owner to enjoy.

Located on the outer circle of the St Vincent Gardens precinct, this property is a remarkable tale of buying the worst house in the best street with stellar results.

It’s one of the last free-standing timber residences in the sought-after suburb, which listing agent Simon Gowling says shouldn’t be overlooked.

Auction Thursday 4 December, 6:00pm

15 Martin Street, South Melbourne VIC 3205

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“It’s an amazing use of space, utilising every square centimetre on the block,” Gowling says. “It’s also a brilliant location in South Melbourne close to the CBD, South Melbourne Market, Albert Park lake and MSAC.”

The auction will take place at 6.00pm on Thursday, December 4.