Believed to be one of Balaclava’s oldest surviving homes, 16 Balston St has hit the market with $3.3m-$3.6m hopes after a radical luxury transformation.
A tiny 160-year-old timber cottage bought for $1.435m has been transformed into a $3.6m luxury sanctuary after a radical rebuild hidden behind its historic facade.
The five-bedroom home at 16 Balston St, Balaclava, is now listed with $3.3m-$3.6m price hopes, putting it above the suburb’s known $3m house sale benchmark.
But from the street, the property still presents as a modest timber home from another era.
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Behind the preserved facade is a very different world: heated polished concrete floors, a soaring glass void, custom natural stone, a marble and brass kitchen, four bathrooms, a self-contained rear studio and an oversized double garage reached by a laneway.
The rear living zone at 16 Balston St, Balaclava, pairs heated polished concrete floors with soaring glass and timber finishes in one of the home’s standout entertaining spaces.
Natural stone, integrated appliances and a concealed walk-in pantry help give the kitchen at 16 Balston St its high-end architectural edge.
Historical research shows the Balston St home was originally built in 1862 as a modest two-roomed timber house owned and occupied by John Baggs.
The street itself was one of Balaclava’s earliest residential pockets, with modest homes lived in by early working residents including bricklayers, labourers, milkmen and gardeners.
More than 160 years later, one of those humble timber homes has been rebuilt into one of the suburb’s most ambitious residential projects.
While the original timber frontage at 16 Balston St had to be retained under heritage controls, other aspects are far more modern.
Behind the modest period facade, a dramatic rear extension opens to the backyard with full-height glass and strong indoor-outdoor flow.
Whitefox Stonnington associate director Jesse Jones said the home’s transformation was one of the most striking period remodels he had seen.
“My first reaction when I walked in was that it was one of the best uses of materiality I have seen in a period remodel,” Mr Jones said.
“Here, they have used this trinity of concrete, glass and timber, and that language carries all the way through the home.
“There would be a six-figure amount spent on glass alone.
The staircase links the home’s heritage roots with its modern upper-level accommodation, where more bedrooms and family space sit above the main living zone.
The architecture at 16 Balston St turns a humble 19th-century cottage into a modern design statement built around concrete, glass and timber.
“There is so much natural light coming through the home, but then you have heated concrete floors, a huge amount of natural stone, and that incredible marble and brass kitchen.”
Mr Jones said the home had been subject to strict heritage controls, meaning the original street frontage had to remain.
“The front door you see at the front is part of that original facade,” he said.
“The actual entry is now down the side of the home.
Travertine, marble and custom detailing carry the luxury finish into the bathrooms at 16 Balston St, Balaclava.
The five-bedroom Balaclava home blends heritage character with a bold modern rebuild and could become one of the suburb’s priciest sales.
“The whole street is under a significant heritage overlay, so there are real controls around height and what can be built.
“To have the garage and studio at the rear, in a home like this, is something you would struggle to replicate again.”
Mr Jones said recreating the home in the current building market would cost about $3m in construction alone.
The property last sold for $1.435m in 2024, after previously changing hands for $1.4m in 2021.
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