- Sue and Hippy Rogers transformed the old Quarry Hills school into a home with unique features.
- The renovation took three years, including a sleepout in the old pool and modern upgrades.
- The property is for sale, offering potential as guest accommodation or a creative space.
When teachers Sue and Hippy Rogers decided to turn the old Quarry Hills school into a home, their aim was simple: design something that would make people smile.
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Plenty of Kiwis buy old churches, schools, and halls and give them a new lease of life. But not many school conversions contain a sleepout in the old pool.
Quarry Hills School, at the very bottom of the South Island, was shut by the government when it came to the end of its educational life.
It sat empty for nearly 30 years, until the Rogers snapped it up in 2017 for $76,000.
The couple, who are from the UK, had moved to Southland when Sue landed the principalship job at Hedgehope School, an hour’s drive north of Quarry Hills.
They had always joked about owning a school as well as teaching at one, Sue told OneRoof, and so when they spotted the old Quarry Hills school for sale, they turned their dreams into reality.
The property, which is for sale for over $595,000, was in a ruinous state when Sue and Hippy Rogers took it on. Photo / Supplied
The interior of the school has been kept as close as possible to its original character, right down to the colour palette. Photo / Supplied
“An older local couple bought it [in the 1990s] with some intention of doing something with it and got overwhelmed, and then another local couple bought it with the intention of doing something because they went to school there,” Sue said.
“Everybody’s very attached to the old building. But they couldn’t work out what to do with it. So we bought it in 2017.”
Sue was sold on the idea when they first viewed the school, Hippy less so. “Sue went, ‘Oh my God, this is amazing’, and I went, ‘This is a lot of work’. It was derelict. It had stood empty for nearly 30 years,” he said. “It was still the same as it was when it was shut down, except for the fact that bees and wasps and vermin had decided to live in it.”
Sue thought the school could be renovated quickly on a limited budget, but Hippy believed it would be a long project. “And it was a long project.”
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“Long” meant three years until the council sign-off was obtained in 2020. To begin with, the couple lived in Hedgehope and commuted back and forth to their project. “We got one bedroom livable and made a little mini kitchen so you could stay,” Sue said. “It was three years of very hard work with a lot of love.”
The couple restored the original building materials where possible, Hippy said. “Any of the woodwork that came out of the building, if it was still usable, I restored it and put it back into the building for some other purpose,” he said.
The couple worked within the existing footprint of the school but added mod cons, including double glazing and a modern kitchen.
Both the design and the colour palette are in full keeping with the building’s former life as a school. “We wanted it to be a nod to the past but with some humour that you still knew it was a school and that would make you smile,” Sue said.
The Rogers had a difference of opinion on how long the renovation would take. Hippy thought it would be a long project - and it was. Photo / Supplied
Hippy said it had been a “cool little place” to live for the past six years. “It’s very warm. The grounds are great because the dogs have room to run around and play.”
One of the highlights is the old school pool, which is now home to a sleepout, with the toilet blocks converted into a kitchenette and bathroom.
The couple told OneRoof they were selling up because of the lengthy commute to their workplaces. “And to be honest, I think we’ve done our bit and brought a heritage property back to life,” Sue said.
“We want somebody else to enjoy it. Hopefully it just makes somebody else smile ... because it is a remarkable little place and it’s got a lot of history.”
The Rogers are currently house hunting between Woodlands and Winton. “But whether it’ll be another project or we have a little smaller life for a couple of years, I’m not quite sure,” Sue said.
The “pool” and the “pool” house are highlights. Photo / Supplied
The property is listed with Bayleys agents JJ Morgan and Dion Cameron, who write in their listing on OneRoof that the property “presents endless possibilities, whether as boutique guest accommodation, an Airbnb opportunity, space for extended family, independent teenagers, a home office, studio or creative escape”.
Morgan told OneRoof that several locals who were pupils at the school had viewed it at the first open home. “One of the parties who came through, his grandfather helped build the school. He came through with his wife and their son. They were reminiscing.”
He added: “It’s not going to be everyone’s cup of tea. It is a niche market, but for the right person looking for something outside of the norm, it’s definitely for them.
“It’s obviously part of the Catlins and not far from the likes of Curio Bay for surfing and things like that.”
- 6 Quarry Hills Fortification Road, Quarry Hills, Clutha, is for sale for over $595,000
