Renovating old homes

We're renovating an old Queenslander at the moment which has had a few highlights..

Unfortunately we never met the seller who was 100 when she moved out and sadly passed away a few months after selling. From what the neighbours tell me, she was a real character her husband built the house in the early 40's.

I just pulled up the carpets and found newspaper clippings.. had a chuckle seeing the old retro ads for ladies clothes, taboco, brylcreem, bile beans tonic laxatives.. then I found two front pages of 'The Telegraph' (2 & 10 January 1942). I was reading all about 'Panzer attacks', 'Australian pilots defeat greatly superior force', 'hitler takes over on Kaluga front', 'Attack on jap bases by RAAF'.

We'll be making a few posters of these newspapers to hang on the walls.

They had realestate on the back page - 3bed house in Greenslopes, close to tram, £340.
- 7bed house in West End £400.
- 4x double storey brick flats in Hamilton, estimated rental return £9/week, for sale £4000. Not a bad return

Has anyone else found any good time capsules when renovating an old house?

 

That's awesome, I love that old stuff! It's such a vivid insight into the "olden days".

 

I think the newspaper you found might have meant something to the old lady who just passed away. I am glad that you are going to make those old stuff into posters.

What do you need to do for the queenslander? any photos?

 

Yeah, I'm really glad they left the newspapers there.

We're wanting keep as much character as we can and add some more where possible. I've found a photo I posted in another thread of the lounge room (before). https://www.propertychat.com.au/community/attachments/dining-room-jpg.8782/
I'll start a threat with before/after photos once we've made some more progress

 

Sucker!

I look forward to the progress pics.

I had the same damn plywood stuck over the vjs at my place too. Horrible stuff. But easier to remove than wallpaper.

 

Any pics of those newspaper ads that you may share ? would love to travel back in time to 1940s....

 

Sucker for punishment alright..
yeah, as ugly as it is, it was very easy to remove. Very glad it's not asbestos which I'd have to remove and then gyprock.. goodbye $15k

 

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Get those newspapers professionally preserved and mounted to prevent them yellowing.

 

Have found lots of old newspaper clippings as drawer linings in old furniture over the years. Boy, were things CHEAP back then!

Current place I have an offer on has loads of furniture in it, and the sheds are packed with random stuff. Nothing jumps out as being spectacularly valuable, but I'll probably find some use for some of it. Hasn't settled yet so I don't know how much is staying with the house. Owner is a 70yo serial renovator and just didn't get around to this project.

Am looking forward to this one, but it has a fairly long settlement time and I went and lost my job halfway through the process so my broker is trying to push it through on my last year's income when I had a lot of time off sick. Net self-employed income 1/4 that of my current gross permanent full-time PAYE income that I can't use on the application. Fun times.

 

Great find and don't forget to also include current newspapers in your own reno so when you're long dead and gone the new owners will find your papers and have a laugh about life back in the early 2000's when marijuana was still illegal and you could drink tap water