Gail Lee and her son Alex spent 18 months nursing a crumbling Edwardian cottage in Cubitt Street back to life. On Saturday 20 June, that labour of love sold at auction for $1.38 million – $130,000 above the top of the quoted range.
The house at 165 Cubitt Street had been in a shocking state: a falling veranda, rotting windows, a dodgy lean-to. But Gail, an interior designer, saw past the decay. The ceilings were pressed metal. There were original fireplaces, coloured glass windows. She and Alex, a horticulturalist and landscape designer, acted as their own project managers, determined to carry the 100-year-old home into a new century.
“It was in an extremely dilapidated state,” Gail Lee, interior designer and co-owner, said. “My vision was to have a jewel box of a house. It was a very big undertaking, we had to fix up 100 years of decline.”
The 18-month renovation stripped the house back and rebuilt it from the inside out. Walls were relined with insulation, electrics and plumbing replaced. The bathroom was moved, a wall that had been removed was reinstated to restore the original floor plan, and custom steel-framed windows and bi-fold doors now open the rear of the house to a lush courtyard. The kitchen is a standout: slimline stone benchtops and an island, designed to feel generous in a compact footprint. And throughout, the old details survive: the fireplaces, the pressed metal, the coloured glass.
The auction, held on site, drew about 50 neighbours. Edward Hobbs, BigginScott Richmond director, said bidding opened at $1.25 million. “There were three bidders. The successful purchaser’s brother, who was bidding on behalf of his sister, ended up securing the home at $1.38m. She was over the moon.” The buyer had missed out on a Fitzroy property the weekend of 13-14 June but preferred this one; a friend said walking through it felt like “walking through the pages of Architectural Digest”.
What makes the sale more than a real estate result is the life the courtyard has already hosted. During the renovation, the Lees transformed the rear into a green oasis that has been the backdrop for weddings and Christmas parties. That community thread is part of the story Gail wanted to tell: a house that serves its people.
Gail admitted she will be sad to leave. “We will be very, very sad to see it go but we’re very, very proud of what we have achieved here. It will hopefully see another 100 years looking as grand and beautiful as it does now.”
For families watching the market, the project offers a real-world lesson in what to look for when a run-down character home lists in the inner east. Gail saw good bones where others might have walked away. Pressed metal ceilings, original fireplaces, coloured glass – these are things that cost a fortune to replicate and last lifetimes if looked after. And that 18-month timeline is worth noting: the Lees were hands-on project managers, not passive renovators.
The new owner hasn’t moved in yet, but the house on Cubitt Street is ready for another century. And for one weekend in June, a crowd of neighbours turned out to witness an old house begin its next chapter.