Red House Blue Door

01/01/2024

️🎉🥂🐾 Happy New Year! Woof! Jesse waits patiently as I pick up the fallen cabbage leaves outside 250...

05/11/2023

We opened the blue 'Disney' door of 250 Kilmore to residents for the first time as part of the Christchurch City Council 2023 Heritage Festival. Almost fifty people were taken on one of seven, 45 minute guided tours.

We were grateful to share the story to an interested audience, humbled to receive such affirming feedback and look forward to opening the door again in 2024. Register your interest to attend👉 https://250kilmore.com/2023-open-day

❤️💙"The tour was excellent and so interesting. We both thought that 250 was beautiful finished product and fitting to 2023 with modern convenience but the heritage charm" - Kaye & Shane

❤️💙"Process of restoration very interesting. Wonderful to see." -Alison

❤️💙"I enjoyed the whole tour. Seeing the interior was a real 'wow' for me, and I liked the fact that we didn't go inside immediately. I enjoyed hearing the story of the house...the time-lapse is amazing." - David

❤️💙"Amazing restoration, thank you very much for the tour and your generosity in opening your home to Christchurch. Everything was handled very professionally yet with a very friendly personal touch" - Kylie

❤️💙"Loved our tour, it was excellent. As soon as we walked through the front gate you made us feel so welcome and from the introductions we each made I knew we were with fellow old house enthusiasts. You made the tour so interesting and informative and by the end when we were sitting down I felt so at home I thought a cup of tea and a chat with you and our fellow tour members would have topped it off!! I know you had the next tour waiting to start so just dreaming haha. Definitely a special place so glad you saved her. " - Christine & Margo

❤️💙 "My favourite part was; integrating new design in an old dwelling in particular the sash windows, learning the history of the property and, how you have stayed true to the workers cottage history" - Abbie

11/10/2023

Gate elegance.

08/10/2023

Alfred Walter Money built the workers house in 1881, with his wife, Annie, and owned it until he died after falling from a tram aged 81 in 1909. The house became home to a number of city workers with varied occupations including, lamp lighter, coal merchant, plumber and fireman. A few weekends back Joe and I had the pleasure to met Alfred's great nephew, Brian Carpenter, and his daughter, Wendy.

Painted portrait from the Carpenter family collection.

08/10/2023

😍 We were thrilled to receive a Civic Trust Award this week for the restoration of 250 Kilmore Street. The trust recognised the 'initiative and commitment in retaining and restoring a house of important heritage character.'

Our talented builder, Glenn Ziarno, from Ross Bailey Craftsman Builders, joined us to collect the award. Shout out to David Norriss our steadfast and committed Project Manager.

Congrats to Brooksfield Townhouses who also recieved an award for ‘Best Urban Housing In Christchurch’.

For Christchurch peeps, we're having an as part of Christchurch City Council's Heritage Festival on Election Day. Guided tours only. We're almost fully booked but register your interest 👉 https://250kilmore.com/2023-open-day

08/10/2023

1st blossoms emerging on the cherry tree planted last summer at the front corner of 250. I can't wait to see the full effect!

14/09/2023

We're opening the doors of this 1881 heritage home to Christchurch residents for the first time on Sat 14 Oct, 10-4pm, 1st tour 10am, last tour 3pm, start on the hour, 30 mins duration. Book here👉https://ccc.govt.nz/news-and-events/whats-on/event/heritage-restoration-of-central-city-workers-home

This event is part of Christchurch City Council's Heritage Festival.

29/04/2023

Dainty lattice shadows in the morning sun. Layers of thick paint were removed via sandblasting before these original fittings were repainted and refitted. The fine intricare details in the cast iron work have been once again revealled...

23/02/2023

😍 Great to see 250 Kilmore's story featured in the March edition of Avenues magazine! You can read it here 👉 https://www.avenues.net.nz/all-stories/2023/2/24/restoration-preserves-heritage-charm
..or see the five page spread online from page 47 👉 https://www.avenues.net.nz/read-online

On the sunny front veranda at 250 Kilmore Street, it’s easy to feel a sense of continuity with the city’s past. A sympathetic restoration has preserved this lovely little house, carefully honouring its heritage character.

25/04/2022

Mittens ignores health and safety briefing and seeks refuge in the shade underneath 250! 🤔

25/04/2022

One pile sped up x2. Took about a day and half to complete the job; 28 piles, 10 mins each...

25/04/2022

Each steel pile took about 10 minutes to drill - this is the first bit.

25/04/2022

Week 3 progress: installation of new foundations...

25/04/2022

Week 3 progress: Viola! new foundations installed ✔️

25/04/2022

🕺️🎶 Who said engineers can't dance??!! Onsite boogieing last week...

17/04/2022

Our holiday home's short holiday makes national news...⛱
https://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/128379701/central-christchurch-heritage-cottage-moved-as-part-of-restoration

After more than 140 years in the same spot, a heritage cottage is going on a short holiday.

13/04/2022

👍 Thanks to all the team who helped us get to the 1st milestone of this restoration project - we had pizza & beers to celebrate!

✔️ Ross Bailey Craftsman Builders prepped house for move
✔️ David Norriss - project management
✔️ William Fulton & Kathleen Smith from FultonRoss TeamArchitects
✔️ Treetech Specialist Treecare Ltd lifted lower limbs of Elm tree
✔️ Mike Harris, Port Hills Plumbing for drainage disconnection
✔️ Underground Overground Archaeology Ltd inspected the pre 1900s site, and not forgetting...

✔️ 💨🏠 George and the team House Lifters Ltd who moved the house 13 metres back!

A few others came to watch; former owner Keith Preen, my Mum, Joan, and a few local residents...

13/04/2022

👍 We did it! 2 hours later she's shifted back 13 metres and is sitting snug next to us. Thanks to Lance Hastie at Com Technology for the time lapse...⤵️

13/04/2022

The move has started!

12/04/2022

⬆️ Successful 1m lift yesterday in preparation for today's 13 m slide backwards➡️. She'll stay put 10 weeks whilst foundations are repaired and she returns home in May when restoration begins 😍.

11/04/2022

Hydraulic pumps in place ✔️ the lift begins. The full lift and slide onto our adjoining front yard is planned for Wed 13 April 1pm 😲 and is expected to take 30 minutes all things going to plan 👍

11/04/2022

Why Money House?....Alfred Walter Money was an early settler to Christchurch and a most colourful entrepreneur 🐎🍻

In 1881 Mr Money built the house that is currently being restored, 22 years after he first leased the land. He maintained ownership for half a century until a fall from a 🚋 tramcar in 1909, aged 81, that resulted in his death.

John Hall, a local resident, recorded his misgivings about Alfred in a letter; "Young Money could do almost anything but work. I fear he will never do any good." Despite the misgivings, Money had plenty of ideas and the ability to turn them into action.

Aged thirty years, Money opened the 🐴 'Canterbury livery, bait, and commission stables' in Market Place, now called Victoria Square. A 'livery and bait stable' refers to a business that provides stabling and food for horses, and sometimes hire of carriages.

🐎 George MacDonald, an early settler researcher, notes Money was a "sporting man and a good rider, he soon made a name for himself and was very popular" His famous horse ‘Rob Roy’ won the Lottery Plate at the Canterbury Jockey Club meeting in the 1860's.

Money noticed the lack of a decent hotel to serve farmers coming in from North Canterbury and eventually opened the Calton Hotel, a most excellent establishment for accommodation and to quench the thirst 🍻

A riveting account of Mr Money and his adventures has been written by Stephen Symons ➡️ https://poddimok.wordpress.com/087-the.../carlton-hotel/

11/04/2022

Curious to know what's planned? 🤔

Repairs required to the EQ damaged foundations mean the house needs to be lifted and 🏠💨 slid back onto our adjoining front yard for approx 6 weeks. Then it will be slid back and shifted one metre east to increase the driveway from 2.4 to 3.4m - it was wide enough for horses 🐴 in 1881 but not so good for vehicles today!

We're taking the opportunity to make some changes but the outside will stay exactly the same but with a new colour scheme.

We're adding a bathroom and moving the ❤️ kitchen into the heart of the home, rather than it's current location in the lean-to at the back of the house.

✔️ Restoration of Money House will be complete in about 5 months or October 2022.

09/04/2022

🐈 Cutie in her element along the steel beams

09/04/2022

With us from the get go, our Project Manager, David Norriss who knows the project inside out. His wife, Anne popped over to take a peak...