It is not difficult for everyone to remember the Forest Lodge at 41A Foss St that was seen on reality TV show Grand Designs Australia last year. Well the news is that it is now sold.
The deal was closed ahead of its auction that was originally scheduled this Saturday, Nov 28. This beautiful three-bedroom Eco-house Forest Lodge was believed to have fetch more or less $2 million. According to Realestate.com, the listing agent is Jennifer Aaron from Jennifer Aaron Real Estate. She did not disclose the actual sale price but she said that it the deal was closed at a price above $1.9 million.
While on the Forest Lodge was still on the market, it was a really an interesting piece of property, having fetched closely 20,000 views on realestate.com.au. It reportedly had 103 groups, all owner-occupiers, checking it out. There were even those from New Zealand, Egypt, Iran, the Netherlands and Italy who were interested with the Forest Lodge.
Chris Knierim, the vendor and designer who built the terrace two years ago, couldn't be more proud with the result. "I put technology in there which at that stage hadn't been heard of in Australia," news.com.au quotes Mr Knierim. "A lot of things were custom made by trial and error."
According to news.com.au, it was dubbed the "Forest Lodge Eco House", because of the greenery that was part of the design inside and outside. To be more specific, the 155sq m abode showcases 8m vertical gardens in the front courtyard, a green roof, double glazed windows. The forest lodge though has modern built-in facilities such as the underground 3500-litre rainwater tank, the underground heating system that stores heat and provides hot water, and wireless switches with iPad or iPhone connectivity.
According to news.com.au, the project cost Mr. Knierim about $900,000. And it paid off because the property is reported to have won 13 international and national awards including the HIA Australian Green Smart Home of the Year, the HIA Energy Efficiency Home of the Year and the BPN Australian New Dwelling of the Year. The designer thinks it would be about $1,000,000 to build the same project today.