Restoring a 140-year-old Bowral home to its former glory involves much labour and love

The Cedar House has experienced many transformations in its 140-year history. It’s been a family home, a doctor’s home and a guest house. Before Henry and Rebecca Reid purchased the Bowral home in 1993 it had been converted into six small flats.

The charming weatherboard residence was built about 1876 with high ceilings, marble fireplaces and bay windows. While some of these features remained, Henry Reid says the process of restoring the home to its original glory was like unscrambling an egg.

“It was in a very rundown state,” Henry Reid says.

“The previous owners had taken out a lot of the joinery and there were six grotty little bathrooms and kitchen. We didn’t want to create an overly modern house, we wanted to restore it sympathetically with its original design.”

 Some of the internal walls had been removed along with doors and joinery. False ceilings were installed and a large part of the garden was concreted over.

 A lot of time and research was put into replicating the original details that had been lost over the years. As luck would have it, the Reids found a joinery firm in Sydney with cutters from the era who were able to recreate identical architraves and skirtings. A local company built new cedar doors and French windows.

The five-bedroom home now includes multiple light-filled living areas, expansive bedrooms suites and bespoke finishes.

The process, Reid says, took several years and the couple now have plans to downsize. Though they may work their magic on another home as well.

 “My wife thinks I’ve got one more house in me,” Reid says. “But we don’t need 20 rooms now the children have moved out.”

The home is set on a quiet street, yet it’s just an easy level walk from the centre of town. It’s sure to charm tree-changers looking for a character-filled property within an easy drive to both Sydney and Canberra.

The Cedar House at 29 Merrigang Street, Bowral, is for sale through Belle Property Bowral agent Di Dixon. Price guide: $2.3 million. Inspect: Saturday 1.30-2.15pm.

Family home at Wallaroo

Just five minutes from Hall Village on the ACT’s fringe, this 69-hectare property has been in the same family since the mid-1800s.

Warren Southwell grew up working on the property, helping with shearing and lambing, before buying the land from his father in the 1970s.

“We built the house here in 1972 and we’ve run sheep here ever since,” Mr Southwell says.

“We milked our own cows and grew our own vegies.”

He and his wife Robyn raised five kids on the farm, Tracey, Steven, Craig, Gary and Chris. The homestead has been well maintained over the years and features five bedrooms, a formal living and dining room and a huge sunroom.

Infrastructure includes a high-capacity bore, eight dams, six stock-proof fenced paddocks and a two-stand wool shed.

Now that the children have grown up, the couple plans to spend the next few years caravaning across the country before settling in Port Macquarie.

496 Wallaroo Road is for sale by negotiation through Elders Real Estate Belconnen agent Mark Johnstone. Price guide: $1.7 – 2 million +. Inspect: Sunday, 4pm-5pm.