3 Ivy Street, Brunswick VIC 3056

What we love about this home:

 The house is very calm, quiet and comfortable. As it is a cul-de-sac, there is little disturbance from traffic.

In summer, both the grape vines grow across the courtyards and shade the house. In summer it is green and shady; in autumn it is ablaze with colour and in winter it lets the light in. The house gets lots of natural light and cross-ventilates for fresh air with the security of two lockable stainless-steel screen doors.

The solar power generates enough electricity and paid us at the historic premium rate 66c/kw (continues for the new home owner until 2024!) so we had many bills that were in credit or minimal amounts.

Recent improvements to the house include solid timber doors in living areas for sound proofing; natural 100% wool carpets in the living room for warmth and comfort underfoot and a heated towel rack in the bathroom. The bathroom also has a new skylight for natural light and a double vanity. A new dishwasher was installed this year. The custom-built shelving unit in the living room was built by local designer and craftsman ‘Smith and Thomas’. It is modular and each shelf can be adjusted to suit different size possessions and books. It includes a hidden power socket for audio connection. It holds hundreds of books and artifacts.

There is an NBN fibre optic cable to the house for fast internet and we set up VoIP for our home phone, avoiding any need for phone connection fees. The carport is a practical space for all year-round clothes drying and we use the street for parking. (Never under estimate the simple daily things!) We’ve never had an insurance claim in 12 years but if you prefer, having OSP it is a great asset or flexible space.

The garden has a wicking bed by ‘Very Edible Gardens’ Brunswick. This is a water efficient system that makes it easy to grow fresh herbs and vegetables. The timber is solid and natural Redwood. We frequently used the outside courtyard for dining and BBQ’s. We installed retractable shade cloth to make it comfortable in the warm summer evenings.

What we love about this suburb:

The best thing about Ivy Street is undoubtably its location. You are near all modes of transport – train, tram, bus and the Upfield bike trail. As it is only 5kms to the city, we rode bikes to work. In fact, we had no car for 5 years until the two kids got too big and heavy for the bike trailer and we also used Flexicar (car share) parked up the street.

Close by is the Brunswick Baths swimming pool and gym; Brunswick Library; RMIT and a cinema at nearby Carlton. For shopping, Barkly Square is around the corner with Coles, Woolworths, Kmart and more. There are great independent stores such as the Mediterranean Wholesalers, La Manna Fruit and Deli, BAS Foods and Pachmamma Organics.