‘An iconic home’: Brothers transform Edwardian home for next generation

When Aboud Saad sat down to watch television on a Friday evening, the last thing he expected was a phone call from his brother in Japan, asking him to attend an auction the next day.

“I randomly came across this listing in Brunswick,” Hussein Saad, Aboud’s brother, said. “It’s quite affordable, and it was over 300 square metres. I’m [thinking], we could do something here.”

Hussein, an accountant, could not believe the original listed price guide of $760,000 to $835,000 for a property that size.

“The location appealed to me … close to where I grew up,” he said.

Aboud, also an accountant, was born across the road at 27 Barry Street, and Hussein grew up on nearby Union Street. But when Aboud walked through the house the morning of the auction in April 2025, he was shocked.

“I walked in knowing that there were squatters, a lot of artwork. It wasn’t in a good state,” he said.

“It was in a terrible state. And I’m trying to picture the renovation process. I’m thinking, ‘this is going to be very difficult.’ It was foreign to us.”

Hussein called Aboud before the auction kicked off. “Are you sure this is what you want?” he asked.

But structural decay couldn’t beat real estate’s golden rule.

“The three Ls, location, location, location, and you’re so close to the city,” Aboud said.

After a lengthy auction, the two brothers, along with another brother, won the keys to the Edwardian property for $1,010,000.

The brothers had unintentionally purchased a piece of Brunswick folklore. Designed by architect Victor Heiberg and named “Beatrice” after his wife, the home had remained with the same family for over 115 years.

“It’s quite an iconic home because it was architecturally designed,” said Maulik Patel from Jellis Craig-Brunswick. “And we had about 12,000 locals write a petition to retain the facade, so you can tell how much this home is loved.”

Hussein said: “It was a shock to us with all the hype around it all.”

When the brothers released their plans for a sensitive, single-story extension, which captured northern sun without blocking out adjacent properties, the neighbourhood’s fears were calmed.

The build gutted the decaying rear, replacing it with a framework featuring solar panels, insulation, an integrated fridge and coffee machine, and the original restored electrical switchboard.

The most challenging hurdle was preserving the historic front.

“We had to hold the whole house up. So at the front of the house, we had to rest it and pin it,” said Hussein.

“The actual foundation is strong, some of it started to peel, but then we got the renderer out and put it all together again. So that was very, very tough, especially when the house is moving, a lot of things can fall out of place.”

The build became a family affair.

“So all the finishes were done by my wife, Sarah. The flooring, cabinetry, wall paint, colours, the wainscoting, the cornices, leadlight, LED wall light, chandeliers, most of all was Sarah. The timber-framed windows, I’ll take credit for that,” Hussein said.

“My brother is a sparky, so he lit this place up very well. We had one of his mates doing the plumbing, we had one of our cousins do the roof, and a lot of our friends on the carpentry work on the outside.

“It was stressful at times, but when we’re all together, having a conversation, trying to work things out. It was pretty cool.”

Buyers in the current Melbourne property market are increasingly worried about construction delays and rising material costs, creating a massive premium for turnkey properties, said Patel.

“People are loving it because they don’t want to go through that emotional and financial journey with that uncertainty, whether the builder is going to deliver the job … They’re happy to pay the price for something that’s been well-built like this.”

Ahead of its scheduled auction, Beatrice was listed for auction with a price guide of $1.95 million to $2.1 million. It sold about a week before the auction to a couple from Carlton North for an undisclosed sum.

Hussein is currently expecting his third child, meaning he has stayed in his home in Pascoe Vale South, rather than moving into Barry Street, which is why it was put up for sale.

But both brothers feel a permanent connection to the facade they saved. They’re both keen to give the development game another go.

“Growing up, I didn’t think that I’d be doing a development on Barry Street,” Hussein said.

“It is a lovely home, a well-thought-out plan, good finishes, we just hope you know someone loves it as much as we do, and can make this their home for another 115 years.”