- Leeanne Campbell and Dale Elphick bought a damaged manor in Cashmere for $591,000 after the earthquakes.
- They spent four years restoring it and opened a luxury bed and breakfast in 2019.
- Now ready to downsize, the couple is selling the manor, with a price expectation above $1.67m.
Christchurch couple Leeanne Campbell and Dale Elphick never thought they’d be in a position to buy a manor.
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But they got their chance when they spotted one for sale at 21b Dyers Pass Road, in Cashmere, more than a decade ago.
They recalled seeing the historic home for the first time.
“We came and had a look at it and looked over the fence, and it was ‘Oh my God!’,” Leeanne said.
Dubbing it their “broken castle”, the couple said the property had been damaged in the city’s earthquakes and was being sold “as is, where is”.
Dale Elphick, a qualified builder, quit his job to work full-time renovating and repairing his own home. Photo / Supplied
The spacious kitchen was large enough for all the long-term residents to share. Photo / Supplied
The home had been propped up with emergency bracing and plywood, which blocked access to the front entrance. “It was like a big broken fairytale [castle].”
Dale said they could instantly see the potential, and they snapped it up for $591,000, well below the property’s value before the quakes.
They admitted their daughter was sceptical, but when she saw it and stood on one of the balconies, she too was smitten.
Dale quit his job as a builder so he could concentrate on the repairs full-time. Leeanne, who teaches te reo Māori, helped when and where she could.
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It took four years to get the house to an insurable state. “It was a massive project,” Dale said. “Everything needed doing. It was structural and cosmetic.”
The old stone masonry foundation was lovingly repaired and strengthened, the home was painted inside and out, and original features such as the stained-glass windows and kauri timber were restored.
The couple opened a luxury bed and breakfast at the property at the end of 2019 and had been doing well until Covid struck three months later.
“When Covid hit, all the tourists left, and we didn’t know what to do,” Dale said.
The couple quickly adapted their business model and started letting four of the six rooms to long-term tenants instead.
A large swimming pool is set on the 1237sqm grounds. Photo / Supplied
Stained glass windows and kauri detailing are among the home’s original features. Photo / Supplied
“We reckon we have lived with about 250 people [over the last 11 years],” Leeanne said, adding that it had been helpful that lots of people wanted to live in a castle.
The couple said that while the renovation had tested them, they felt lucky to have been able to do it. “If it hadn’t been for the earthquake, we wouldn’t have got it because it would have been way out of our [budget].”
The manor was originally built in 1908 by a local confectioner, but over the years it has been home to lawyers, judges and doctors. “And we are a builder and teacher.”
Leeanne added: “We are very ordinary people – we just got lucky.”
The couple are also extremely proud of what they created. “It’s really like living in a fairytale. We walk around going, ‘Wow, it’s just so beautiful’,” Dale said.
“It’s been an absolute pleasure to be the caretakers of this place. It’s amazing.”
However, the couple are now ready for a new chapter in their tale and have decided to sell the manor and downsize.
They said the home was now ready to be run as an accommodation business or a large family home big enough for extended families.
Ray White agent Mark Lambie said it was a beautiful residence with so much charm, comfort and space.
The property has an RV of $1.67m, but Lambie said the price expectation was above that.
- 21B Dyers Pass Road, in Cashmere, Christchurch, goes to auction on March 5
