Once a place of worship, local gatherings and celebration in 1912, 79 Buena Vista Avenue, Coorparoo is now a luxury home in one of Brisbane's most sought-after suburbs.
From the street, onlookers see a luxurious and eclectic home, but for owner Bob Chambers, 79 Buena Vista Avenue has always been a passion project with a truly unique story.
Located in one of Coorparoo’s most prestigious streets, this forward-thinking home has been a work in progress for Bob and his family for six years. The home meticulously blends the old with the new, with the centrepiece of the property being a century-old, Salvation Army church that was originally built in Nanango in 1912.
From Nanango to Coorparoo, 79 Buena Vista Avenue is now a luxury home with awe-inspiring city views, impressive fixtures and a core focus on sustainability.
"I had always wanted to do up an old church building and it took me about 12 months to find a building that was appropriate," Bob said.
"To transport the church from Nanango to Coorparoo, we had to separate the building, take the roof off and then travel the roof down separately from the building because it was too tall. It was then transported on large trucks in the middle of the night and early into the morning, we even had police escorts. It was a big job but it was exciting.
"When we finally got it placed on the block, I commissioned Peter McArdle from PTMA Architects to work on the project alongside me. Peter has a very particular and unique way of doing things, which was perfect for this project.
"Peter worked on the development and I made changes along the way and we enjoyed the process together."
Listing Agent for 79 Buena Vista, Place Coorparoo’s Jamal Naouri has been a part of the journey since the beginning and has loved watching the home come together.
"I've known Bob since 2016 when he originally bought the block of land and he has always wanted to do this project. It's been in the making for a long time." Jamal said.
"He [Bob] wanted to use a church for its beautiful structure and the high walls and ceiling. A lot has changed along the way, but the one thing that remained throughout the process was the quality."
To pay homage to the history of the church, many of the original fixtures have been re-purposed or re-produced.
"Sustainability was the architect's brief. All of the windows and the arch frames have been reproduced in the original form and the iron from the roof has been utilised throughout the home," Bob said.
"A lot of the wood has been used, including the old church stage which had a beautiful mural, which is now used as the internal roof panels in the hallway of the home."
Jamal has never seen a project quite like 79 Buena Vista and really resonated with the integrity of the project as well as the sustainability features of the home.
"This home means a lot to me, I watched every moment of the build. Bob was so careful and considerate of the integrity of the church and how he complemented the church with the modern elements the whole way through. This really resonated with me and it will resonate with buyers," Jamal said.
"Sustainability is at the heart of this unique home and it's so forward-thinking."
The home features two water tanks that hold a total of 45,000 litres of water, 18 kilowatt solar panels and a 15 kilowatt battery station that will charge a car in less than an hour. Additionally, the indoor pool in the home contains magnesium and the water from the pool can be used to water the garden.
There are so many unique aspects of the home, including two in-built waterfalls. However, being a builder and owner of a steel manufacturing company himself, Bob is particularly passionate about the steelwork, the stonework and the incredible landscaping.
"I'm really proud of the level of stonework that was used, that has really made the place unique in itself. The Basalt Stone is from Northern NSW and the Stone Mason spent six to eight months working on the stone, so an awful lot of thought and care went into it," Bob said.
"All the steelwork in the place I built. So the fencing, the steel beams and the bench-top in the kitchen were built by myself and the boys at work…it was a real project of love.
"The landscaping is very unique; it has a running creek that runs down the full southern side of the block, runs into three ponds and then into a fish pond. We also have a fish tank in the kitchen which people are attracted to as soon as they walk in the door."
The home is built to accompany numerous living styles and families, with the main bedroom situated in the church, and additional bedrooms in the modern pavilions.
"Various people seem to love different things. The separate pavilions are great, you could have older or younger family members live there, or you could use it as an office. There’s the lift too that takes you from the garage all the way up to the loft," Bob said.
"The pièce de resistance for me is the wine cellar. There’s a glass floor in the pantry upstairs that looks down into the cellar. The floor in the cellar itself is very special. It’s all stone and it's been gone over with an epoxy resin that looks like glass, it’s beautiful."
The audacious design and build process was finished in 2021, and Bob is excited to share his love of the property with the new owners when he sells the home at Auction.
I hope the new owners adore the home as much as I do and appreciate the differences that it has compared to most homes," Bob said.
"It's been a really nice journey and I've enjoyed every minute of it, but I'm excited to bring this project to a final end. I hope the buyers can see the love and care that has gone into it. It was worth it 110%, I loved every minute of it."
79 Buena Vista Avenue will be going to Auction Sat 23 Apr at 2:00pm, onsite. For more details about the property click here or to watch the documentary as featured on 7+, click here.
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