FEATURE LISTING: Mount Pleasant property brought back to life
When Dwayne Mitchley and his husband Joshua Fraser stumbled upon this historic Mount Pleasant property in 2017, they immediately saw its endless potential.
The couple had been on the hunt for a renovation project and were inspired by the property’s rich history, as well as its 82 acres of land, perfect for a hobby farm.
The property was also an achievable distance to Dwayne’s work at Adelaide Airport, where he is a customer service manager for Qantas.
So, when the property hit the market in early 2018, Dwayne and Joshua did not hesitate to snap it up and set about restoring the house to its former glory, needing plenty of love and attention.
“When we moved in there were vines growing through the roof and there were trees almost falling on the house,” says Dwayne.
“The original part of the house was in quite a ruin when we found it, so we took it on as a project with no real timeframe in mind. Was it going to take 15 or five years? We didn’t know.”
But the couple could see the house had good bones, including a 30-foot atrium with a pressed tin ceiling.
“There were all these little gems hidden in the house, so then it was just a matter of tying together all the jobs we wanted to do, to give the house another hundred years or so,” says Dwayne.
“It’s been a lot of love and sweat and money, but we’ve really enjoyed it.”
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And so, the couple got to work restoring the 160-year-old villa, which was built in the 1860s, and includes an addition built in World War I.
Dwayne says they installed a plaque bearing the property’s original name, “Lansdown”, a nod to the original occupants who came up with the name, and also ran a flour mill that forms part of the property. The mill has now been converted into two shopfronts with long-term tenants, providing a passive income for Dwayne and Joshua.
The five-bedroom house includes two bathrooms, an open-plan living, kitchen, dining area and garage space for up to two cars.
Dwayne says when they moved in, one of the first priorities was to put in a new kitchen to replace the “very, very basic” one.
“It was literally just a 30-year-old gas stove and a metre of bench space,” he says.
“When we arrived, we couldn’t afford it straight away – we had to save a bit for that one – but we put in what we call a timeless kitchen.”
The new kitchen boasts white subway splashback tiles, a Caesarstone bench and Smeg oven.
The couple also painted the house inside and out, renovated the ensuite, and installed solar and air conditioning throughout.
Dwayne credits Joshua as the mastermind behind the interior selections.
“I’d say he’s got the vision – I’m just the labourer. He’s got an eye for colours and what goes with what. I’ll put that on him – he’s got a talent for that,” he says.
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Another big project was tidying up the garden, which was overgrown with weeds.
The couple also maintained a hobby farm, with a horse, 20 Murray Greys and their calves, Black Suffolk sheep, chickens, peacocks and a truffière, while a nearby dam is full of yabbies.
“It’s great if you want to grow your own produce and have your animals and do all of that,” says Dwayne, adding that his favourite part of the house is the impressive atrium.
“When you walk in the front door, that’s pretty commanding,” he says.
“It’s hard to see in the photos online, but when you walk in and look up at that, it’s pretty impressive.”
Dwayne also loves the garden, with its magnolias, plane trees, lemon-scented gums and French oak trees.
“It’s so pretty. It’s like you could almost have a wedding there,” he says.
But now that their Mount Pleasant renovation is complete, Dawyne and Joshua are ready to move onto their next project, a new build.
“We took this house on as a project and here we are at the end of that,” Dwayne says. “We’re not people who just sit still. We still want to be on land in the hills – on some acreage – but we want to do a new build now.”
“We’ve restored the old and now we want to sink our teeth into something new”.
The sale of 13 Glen Devon Road, Mount Pleasant is being handled by Dee-Anne Hunt from Williams Real Estate.
