Hard to leave Hyde Park sanctuary

KAREN O’Dea Morris and husband Richard O’Dea admit there are still times when they second-guess their decision to sell their Hyde Park home.

“When I look back at all the wonderful features of this place, I do ask myself why we’re leaving,” Karen says.

“We’ve loved everything about living here and it’s certainly a bit bittersweet to be selling.

“We know it’s the right time, though. The kids are getting older and before we know it’s just going to be the two of us and this home is far too big for that. It’s time for another family to enjoy it.”

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It’s easy to understand the couple’s hesitation, considering the stunning property’s wonderfully private location, bespoke design and superb build quality that was recognised with a HIA Best Custom Build Award in 2017.

The five-bedroom home has certainly been a labour of love for the family since Karen first sourced the block set in a small estate on one of Hyde Park’s premier boulevards, Commercial Rd.

“This was the site of the original Walford boarding school and playing fields,” she says.

“Some people were afraid of the gums in the backyard but we actually thought they were an awesome feature and we knew we could make them work.

“You have to have very specific footings for the houses.

“They have a screw-pile system, which are like jetty piers. They go 10m down, which means the house won’t move, you don’t hurt the gum’s roots and the gums are forever protected.

“The whole house was built around these two gums and we just love them.”
The couple engaged highly regarded boutique architects ThreeSixFive Studio to design a home that would work both for the specifics of the site and for their blended family of five children.

“We didn’t want a cookie-cutter approach,” Karen says.

“They needed to make it work for our circumstances, so everyone had their own space … but it was still really personal.

“It was also very important to us that we made the most of the outdoor space.

“There’s no step to the outside (from the living area). It just flows.

“I had been living in Cairns where it’s all this type of open lifestyle and that’s what I wanted to achieve here. I think we succeeded.”

Karen is also full of praise for builder Adam Turnbull of Turnbull Built.

“I couldn’t recommend him highly enough,” she says.

“He encouraged us to come in and be part of the process from the very start. He was amazing.”

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Karen struggles to single out one particular feature when asked what she’ll miss most about her Hyde Park home.

“We’ve got Unley Rd, King William Rd, all the schools and you’re literally 3½km to the city,” she says.

“It’s great for kids, too. There’s Heywood Park around the corner.

“I just love this backyard, though. There are always birds in the trees and it’s hard to believe you’re so close to the city.

“It’s all so private, too. Because we’re in this little estate, no one drives past and the gates lock up at night.

“We feel really confident when we go out that the kids are home safe and we don’t have to worry about them.

“We’ve loved it.”

For more information about this property, go to 4/35 Commercial Road, Hyde Park

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