An expat Kiwi has snapped up a historic manor near Timaru that was saved from rats and ruin and plans to run it as an Airbnb.
Builder and homeowner Rory Foley admits the buyer type is a “bit left field” from what he had been expecting when he renovated the neglected property, but he still thought it would be a good fit.
The 19th-century estate on Te Ngawai Road, in Pleasant Point, had been for sale for many months and with several agencies before finally selling for $1m last week.
Trinity Network salesperson Damian Dellabarca said the renovated home had attracted interest from local families and a person looking for a property for her horses, but some of those offers had been conditional on house sales.
Start your property search
Discover more:
- Wellness guru selling his Wānaka estate - I miss life in my caravan
- Construction duo’s supersize resort up for grabs - but will it break records?
- Dunedin’s secret trophy homes: Aussie buyers showing interest
The new owner lived in Australia but had strong links to Timaru and had family in the area. She appeared to have plans to let it out as a holiday home before eventually returning to the area and living in it, he said.
Dellabarca said the impressive renovation undertaken by Foley and one of his workers and the attractive price tag had been big drawcards for buyers.
It was impossible to buy a property north of Timaru for that sort of money, he said.
“I’ve just been showing a couple around some very nice houses in the Hill suburbs in Christchurch and when you compare dollar for dollar what you are getting there – that house was an absolute bargain.”
The new kitchen was handmade and still has the original working coal range. Photo / Supplied
While Foley hadn’t made as much money he had initially hoped after paying $860,000 for it in April 2021, he was pleased it had sold. The sale price was also above the 2023 RV of $850,000.
“It was just the matter of the market speaking,” Dellabarca said.
“He didn’t make as much as he would have liked, but he definitely didn’t lose money so he’s happy to move on and start his next project.”
Foley, who took on the project during Covid when construction materials for new builds were hard to come by, said the agent had done a great job in finding a new owner.
“I just think what I’ve done has given the house the opportunity to last another 100 years and I think these people have seen it’s a beautiful home that’s just had its heart back into it.”
What the manor used to look like. Photo / Supplied
However, he was already planning his next ambitious project, which was to build an eco-smart home run by artificial intelligence.
“I’m going to do it. I’m dumb enough and crazy enough to do it.”
The interactive home with be built on a site about 20-minutes south of Timaru.
“We are just finding such cool tech at the moment – that the electrician, even the plumber – we are just getting really excited about building it,” he said.
“The house will be given a brain so it will think for you. It will open windows when it gets too hot, it will have a security system that pretty much if someone tries to break in will tell which room you are in and will have flashing lights and sirens and basically inform the intruder you are being photographed this entire time. We are building solar tracking systems, earth vents. We are going to build a hydroponic system underneath the kitchen island, which will be pretty cool.”
There would also be a living wall with plants such as ferns that were watered from the steam.
He earlier told OneRoof he had been in talks with Grand Designs about featuring the project so if all went to plan it could feature in an upcoming season of the show.
However, what Foley is less sure about is whether an owl nicknamed Mr Hoot who befriended him when he moved into the Pleasant Point home will move on when he does.
"Someone actually said to me the other day, 'what happens when you move to the other house and Mr Hoot actually follows you?'. I was like, 'well that would be pretty, pretty crazy'."
- Click here to find more properties for sale in Timaru
