'Near derelict' Charles Street cottage restored to 1800s glory

Something was finally happening at the faded Charles Street cottage - opposite Aroma's cafe - more than 160 years since it was built.

Courtney Gibson Chan bought the four-room home at auction in late 2019.

She had mainly lived in Sydney before a friend invited her to Launceston, where she fell in love with what has become a four-year restoration project.

"I could see [the home] was in a pretty challenged, almost derelict state," she said.

"I knew it would need new walls, new wiring, plumbing and everything - but I looked at the location and prettiness of the facade, and the potential of it.

"I guess that's what it's about - seeing what something might become, not necessarily what something is."

The restoration had challenges from the get-go.

COVID boomed once she arrived in Launceston, there were supply chain issues, and on several occasions she was locked in or out of the state.

It has taken a full four years to complete the restoration - "I've literally only finished in the last [fortnight]" - but she had plenty of inspiration to see the project through.

"Whenever I'm in the front yard people stop me and talk to me," Ms Gibson Chan said.

"I think because it's the only single-storey place in a strip of two-storey houses and it has those charming arched windows.

"It's a little cottage that means something to a lot of people and I've got so much encouragement from people walking up and down the street - 'keep going!'. It's sweet."

A stunning skylight and spiral staircase join the old and new sections of the home, which has virtually doubled in size.

A sliding door can separate the home into two halves - ideal for an Airbnb - and every room has a distinctly Tasmanian feel.

Selling her car to buy a ute, Ms Gibson Chan scoured all corners of the state, scouring materials from online marketplaces, auctions and building sites from Evandale, to Oatlands, to Bellerive.

She strived to maintain surviving features of the original home, which has been dated to the mid-1800s.

A large bluestone wall at the property's rear indicates the home was built after the then-hilly Charles Street was levelled in 1843, while the architecture and interiors point to a pre-1860s construction.

The finished product is an elegant and modern period home.

"It's got everything you want - all the beauty and elegance and the design features of a heritage home, but with a modern bathroom and brand new everything," Ms Gibson Chan said.

Ms Gibson Chan has listed the home for sale after marrying in September.

She will move to NSW's Northern Rivers, but will undoubtedly return to Launceston.

"Launceston's got so many beautiful character homes," she said.

"I just love here that you can walk down the street and be surrounded by beauty.

"I always remind myself when walking around Launceston: look up, look up, because of the beautiful detail on the buildings, telling the history of the city."

The four-bedroom, two-bathroom home at 275 Charles Street is for sale with McGrath Launceston.

It has a price guide of $1.25 million to $1.4 million.