Every house has a story. But the intriguing thing about the grand old charmer on the corner of Allenby Ave and Lake Rd at the beginning of Devonport, is working out which story is true.
Owner Callum Ross was told that the huge house was built sometime between 1910 and 1915 as a showplace for a building manufacturer -- which would explain the sampling of ceiling finishes in every room, the window awning trims and detailed doors -- but he also has a floorplan dated 1929 which suggests other uses. Certainly, when Scotsman Callum and his wife bought the property in 2004, they could see that it was full of character and deserved a new life. With four boys, they could see huge potential in the four double bedrooms and multiple living rooms, as well as a gloriously un-touched attic.
However, the family were living in another part of Devonport and never quite got around to renovating the old lady, so have had tenants in the house for 12 years. They are selling now because their nest is nearly empty, the last son at university, and they've got plans to build in Scotland, on Callum's family land next to Loch Ness.
"We saw that the house was eminently liveable as it was -- the kitchen was dated, but large and sunny, the bathroom had been fixed up before we bought. The living rooms were great," says Callum. "But it was the huge attic that really captured us. We thought we could build four or five bedrooms up there without having to push out dormers or alter the roof, just with skylights."
