Family selling beloved Torrens Park home rebuilt after devastating fire – realestate.com.au

News Corp Australia Network

Rod and Deborah Westland stood in the middle of the road outside their Torrens Park home 15 years ago and watched everything they owned go up in flames.

With nothing left but the clothes on their backs, the couple, along with their three young children, were forced to live in a caravan and a shed for almost six years, quietly dreaming of the day they could rebuild on their block at 5 Braemar Rd.

The day came in early 2011, when the family was finally granted development approval, but it took another three years to finalise the modern masterpiece as it stands today.

MORE NEWS

Why this mansion is tipped to smash its suburb’s record

Coorong shacks offer chance to follow in footsteps of Storm Boy

Pirate Life founders list SA holiday home

Rising from the ashes like a phoenix and built around the Westland’s most prized possession – a grand piano – the home has now been listed for sale, with its auction later this month expected to spark plenty of buyer interest.

“It was rebuilt with a lot of love but it was quite a process as the insurance only covered rent for the first 12 months, which meant we ended up living in a shed for three years,” Mrs Westland said.

“It was from there that we came up with the concept of the house and as we had young children at the time, we wanted something beautiful for our family to live in.

“One of the first things we bought after the fire was a piano and the house was kind of built around that.

“But our passion, initially, really was developing the garden and seeing that come back to life and that was something we did while still living in the shed.”

Forged out of structural steel and smothered in Mount Gambier limestone, the new house at 5 Braemar Rd spans two levels and offers 180-degree ocean views.

Highlights include a purpose-built piano room with moody black textured walls, a mezzanine, four bedrooms each with an ensuite, and boundless open-plan living spaces that provide plenty of space to relax.

The kitchen is a chef’s delight, featuring a generous breakfast bar, high-end appliances, stone benchtops, granite splashbacks and a butler’s pantry.

Slide open one of the many oversized, double glazed doors and the main living room suddenly becomes one with the entertainment terrace, which overlooks a 3.5m diving pool and landscaped gardens.

Ms Westland said with all three children having flown the coop, it was time to bid farewell to the family home.

“I would love to see another family move in as, obviously, it’s been designed with generational living in mind,” she said.

“I’m sure they would appreciate the love that we put into constructing it … and like me appreciate the breathtaking view.”

Selling agent Daniel Richardson of Ouwens Casserly Real Estate, said the home was a rare offering to the market.

“It’s been very well received and surprisingly popular with buyers and I think we’ll see a good result on auction day,” he said.

“We already have four or five parties that are pretty keen on it and we’re anticipating interest around the $3m mark.”

The property will be auctioned at 2pm on October 28.

Torrens Park has a median house price of $1.175m, according to PropTrack.