Long-time owners say goodbye to Chapman 'barbecue house'

4 Lincoln Place, Chapman
$1.5 million 

The grandeur of this Chapman home belies its reputation as having been one of the suburb’s best spots for casual neighbourhood get-togethers around a pool.

Owners Bernie and Maureen Grelis regularly welcomed up to 50 friends, family and neighbours for barbecues and a swim during the 33 years they have lived in the four-bedroom house.

“This is a home for young people to enjoy,” says Bernie who is retired and planning to downsize to a unit.

“My son and his mates used to have a ball here. It’s a wonderful house for entertaining large numbers of people.”

One of the regular visitors to the Lincoln Place property was neighbour and Olympic marathon runner Robert de Castella, who spent many weekends with Bernie planting trees around Chapman to green the environment.

“I was in business and Maureen and I always had a lot of work colleagues and friends coming over for lunches and a swim, including the local kids and their families. We have been very blessed that the people in our street and neighbourhood are fantastic and we have enjoyed mixing with all of them.”

The couple bought the sprawling property in 1983 at auction, two years after it was built. They were taken by its family-friendly floor plan and plush 1980s features, including Travertine marble in the foyer and bathrooms, a wide circular driveway, spa bath, billiard room and fireplace.

The American colonial-style house in the Weston Creek district is surrounded by landscaped gardens and has multiple entertaining areas, including verandahs, three gazebos, large gardens and an atrium.

“We originally came from Sydney, so we were used to going to the beach, there was a sailing club across the road and a park close to us,” says Bernie says.

“This home offered us that type of open space again.

“It would be great for a couple with children who love to swim or play in the backyard, because it’s a big house on a big block, complete with kangaroos hoping around the garden.”

With their son now living on the coast, they are relocating, but aren’t moving far away.

“We are heading just a kilometre down the road,” Bernie says.

“As much as we love the house and the street, there is a time when you need to move on.”

4 Lincoln Place, Chapman, is for sale through Bertram Ellis Chapman agents Tom Ellis and Ashleigh Curtis. EER: 2.5. Inspect: By appointment.

Nestled in the bush

There are so many things that inspire architectural design: for Canberra homeowners Jan and Philip Finley, nature shouts loudest from the top of that list.

The couple had a vision to build a house in harmony with the natural setting of their high-set block of land surrounded by bush in Jerrabomberra.

“When we drove up here to inspect the block, we fell in love with the reserve around it and the complete privacy that the site offered,” Jan says.

 “We wanted a house with soft lines and colours that blended into the environment so that we could appreciate the reserve and feel like the home was part of the bushland.”

That was 13 years ago, and the Finleys have achieved just that.

Their contemporary four-bedroom house has been designed by TT Architecture to provide an abundance of space and natural light with high ceilings and feature windows throughout to enjoy the bush setting and sweeping views to Canberra.

After many years enjoying their luxury bush home, the Finleys are moving closer to Canberra to enjoy retirement in more urban digs.

 7 Aspen Rise, Jerrabomberra, is for sale through Ian McNamee & Partners Jerrabomberra agents Lou Baldan and Darren Bennett. Price guide: $980,000 to $1.02m. Inspect: By appointment.