Topiary and Tudor-like charm at 32 Evans Court, Toorak.
A Tudor-style Toorak house’s owners who restored their home’s original charm after buying it three decades ago are selling with $5.5m-$6m price hopes.
In 1994, wife and husband Deb and Phil purchased 32 Evans Court for $655,250 after spending about 12 months searching for their dream home when relocating from Bendigo for their children’s education.
Deb said that Phil was away when she inspected the ‘sad’ property, which did not look like it had been updated since being built, most likely in the 1940s or 1950s.
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Although the lights weren’t working, Deb could see the potential of the beautiful arched windows, ceiling roses and ornate fireplaces.
“I walked in and fell in love,” she said.
They put in an offer before Phil had even seen the home and became its new custodians, living in the residence for a time before embarking on a massive renovation which effectively removed the abode’s rear.
The bricks were cleaned so they could be re-used and part of the garage was detached so the works, including rewiring and replumbing the entire home, could proceed.
Period features abound in the house.
The Tudor-style house, reminiscent of buildings from the Tudor period which lasted from 1485 to1603 when the House of Tudor ruled England starting with King Henry VII’s reign.
A fourth bedroom was added upstairs, becoming the main bedroom with its walk-in robe, east-facing balcony and ensuite with a freestanding bath and double vanity.
“Downstairs we put in a television and family area, a casual meals area as there was already a formal dining room and a study,” Deb said.
Turning right at the front door leads directly to the office and a powder room, ideal for when Phil, an accountant, worked from home.
Deb said they matched the house’s new roofline to exactly fit with the older part, making it virtually impossible to tell where each segment started and ended.
“We did it (the renovation), I believe, in sympathy with the home – it has every modern convenience but it’s maintained it’s character,” she said.
A bathtub and double vanity in one of the two bathrooms.
A front garden hedge provides privacy.
Along with Phil, she is a fan of older-style homes, especially English houses, which served as the inspiration for their front garden’s topiary and backyard’s box hedges.
They imported fabric from the UK to use in the bedrooms’ curtains and bed linen, while the house’s sweeping staircase is another favourite feature.
“When our daughter was married we got some lovely photos of her coming down the stairs, in the formal dining room and in the gardens,” Deb said.
Across the years, they have hosted plenty of special events at the home, including Phil’s 50th birthday with a marquee outside and 120 guests.
There’s both formal and casual dining areas.
Deb said the house’s location in a “really quiet” street close to public transport, Toorak and Kooyong Villages and schools was another bonus.
She said that she and Phil had planned on the address being their forever home but they had not planned on their adult children all moving back to the country, and they are selling to up to be closer to them and their grandchildren.
Deb said they had never envisioned one day putting the house on the market for seven figures after buying for a six-figure sum, despite their extensive reno.
One of the four bedrooms, all of which are located upstairs.
Whitefox sales director Michael Torcasio described the abode as “a true family home in every sense of the word”.
“Offered for the first time in over three decades, this Toorak Tudor home presents the perfect blend of space and privacy in Melbourne’s most prestigious suburb,” Mr Torcasio said.
The house is for sale via expressions of interest.
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