house

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The house and garage have been completely restored. A description of its features follows:

Ground Floor - two double bedrooms, one large recreation lounge,small dining room and bathroom.

First floor - two small bedrooms.

fireplace.JPG (25405 bytes) Facilities - gas fires have been installed in the main lounge area and in the small living room on the ground floor. In one room the gas fire is a modern unit and in the other room (the original drawing room) where the traditional fireplace used to be, there is an old-fashioned replica fireplace which disguises the fact that it is gas.

kitchen.jpg (23242 bytes) The kitchen is equipped with a modern gas top fired electric oven in retro styling and has a retro styled but modern refrigerator. A microwave is tucked behind a panelled door. The sink benches in both the kitchen and the bathroom are made from kauri which has been coated with a protective layer (quality unknown) for long exposure to hot water.

Curtains of historical veracity (checked with the Canterbury Museum) are being installed throughout the house.

The bath is the original bath found in the house when I took it over. It probably dates from around 1900 and the loo, which is a modern addition, is a very old fashioned chain pull affair which you have to have a special licence to operate. A septic tank was installed by a prior owner, thank goodness.

The water supply is a continuous one from the local creek.

The outside walls have been insulated with a modern foam plastic, which has been blown into the cavities in the walls.

Windows -- all windows except for the downstairs original drawing room have been replaced with window frames of identical dimensions to the originals.

Roof -- on removal of the corrugated iron remnants of the original cedar roof were found and a new cedar roof has been installed.

Gutters - one remnant of the original gutters was found. This comprised a solid piece of timber that was cut into the shape of a V. New gutters have been constructed on a like dimension running in timber downpipes.

Floors -- the floors were replaced in two rooms downstairs and one room upstairs. The remaining floors are original.

A modern washing machine together with an old fashioned copper have been installed in the garage.

Repiling -- the house has been completely repiled and relevelled.

lounge.jpg (30233 bytes) Wallpapers -- traditional 19th century wallpapers have been used placed on scrim upstairs and on plasterboard in the new portion of the house.

Colouring - the original colours have been used for a portion of the outside, where those colours are known

The house is highly original comprising the second homestead erected in 1857 plus the additions at the back which were erected in 1875 (or thereabouts).

An alarm system has been installed. Television aerials both for domestic and Sky have been installed with underground wiring to the house.

There is still considerable work to be done to restore the external fences and the landscaping and path making has yet to be completed.

The house is now available for use by family members at a rental, which is approximately one half of the normal commercial, rent (see bookings).

I will appoint Trustees who will grant access to family members.

Yours sincerely

John Fernyhough