Author // Shannon Edwards for Place Bulimba
With the help of his wife and daughter, John Reuschle turned a rundown doctors’ clinic into their beautiful family home.
The property at 428 Cavendish Road, Coorparoo was built to highlight the 1920’s character style of the home.
From brightly coloured rooms to timeless furniture and a leafy green garden, it’s clear to see the love that went into the construction of this family home.
The Reuschle family have lived in the renovated for many years, only recently putting on the market for sale.
We spoke with John about the story behind the renovation.
Photo Credit: 428 Cavendish Road
What attracted you to the property?
When we were looking for a property we looked at about 50 homes all over Brisbane - from Kedron to Nundah to Morningside, Camp Hill, Hill End and Coorparoo.
When we were shown the home in Coorparoo we were initially unsure, thinking there was too much work to do.
The backyard was overgrown, wallpaper was hanging off the walls and the main bedroom was lined with caneite with fluorescent lights and a sink from the previous doctors’ surgery.
But my wife loved the home when I showed her. The style and character had her hooked so the choice was made!
Photo Credit: 428 Cavendish Road
Why did you decide to buy a property in Coorparoo?
When we were looking, we were living in a house at Manly which was too far from the city for us.
We wanted to buy in an inner-city suburb that was close to the city but still had a community feel.
We loved the Southside of Brisbane and the house sold us on Coorparoo.
Photo Credit: 428 Cavendish Road
Why was it important for you to keep the character of the home?
John working on the renovation
My wife and I both shared a love for old-style homes.
The house needed some major work, and the decision was made to restore rather than renovate.
The design of the lounge room is unchanged and keeps the original layout.
When we bought it, each of the rooms had great potential. They just needed a lot of work and time!
Amanda working on the renovation
It was a long labor of love, with weekends and night-times often spent entirely on making over the place.
At the time it was very important for me to share the process of the renovation, not only with my wife but also with our daughter, Amanda.
I know that she loved learning the skills we taught her during our restoration projects which she has now put into use when working on her own heritage home.
What makes the home special?
The room that took the most planning and effort was the bathroom. I remember getting up in the ceiling and looking at what we could do. The style went from a 6’6” ceiling to a 17” cathedral ceiling – it’s very unique to the home.
My wife and I love the village aspect of Coorparoo, and our neighbours became great friends.
The convenience of being close to the city with lots of transport options have made it easy to get where we needed to go.
The aspect, once we had the back deck completed, was a place where we loved to eat, because of the leafy outlook and the quiet setting.
We hope that the future owners will love this style of house and will make it their own home, as we have done for the last 40+ years.
You can view the property listing online HERE