Grand mansion home offered free 'inundated' with relocation offers

The developers relinquishing a grand Christchurch home free of charge – provided the new owners can relocate it – say they’ve been “inundated” with offers for the grand old home.

The 320sq m home on Mansfield Ave in Merivale could be saved from the wrecking ball as developers seek to clear a 1535sq m property to make way for six new standalone homes.

The property is being offered by developers M Group free of charge to make way for six new standalone homes.

40 Mansfield Ave sits on 1535m2 in Merivale. Photo / Supplied

M Group director Sean McCrory said the vast abode was “too nice of a home to pull down”, and there were offers to relocate the home to several places, including Banks Peninsula and North Canterbury.

“We’ve had maybe about 30 or 40 calls and emails,” McCrory said.

“It’s mostly maybe older people who feel a little sense of nostalgia because they grew up in a home like that.

“They’ve got a big section and they’re keen to move it out to and live in it, which was really positive to hear – we’ve had just calls every day.”

McCrory said that while the home won’t move until February, it will likely be split into four pieces.

“It’s most likely going to move out to sort of a lifestyle block where there’s a good big section to place it on.

“Whoever ends up taking it will come in, do the work...it’ll likely be split into four pieces, and it’ll take about two weeks and [be] moved out to its new place.”

The huge house at 40 Mansfield Ave in Merivale is being offered for free if the new owner relocates it.

Relocating the four-bedroom, three-bathroom home would require significant work and money – but McCrory earlier told the Herald it’s their preferred option.

“We’re not interested in making anything for that house; there would have been costs associated with it anyway, so we’re actually not looking for anything. We may even have to contribute to the removal. So, we’re not looking for anything,” McCrory said.

“The house is effectively free, whoever wants to take it.”

M Group reportedly acquired the home for $3.8 million, with plans to clear the section, including an astro-turf tennis court, and build six two-storey homes of about 230m2 each.

A render of the 6 homes that will be built by M Group Properties at 40 Mansfield Ave in Merivale.

“Rather than slamming on a load of townhouses, we realised there was a big demand for stand-alone homes in St Albans and Merivale,” McCrory said.

“Three beds with plenty of space, big lounge, a media room, a nice big master bedroom upstairs with an oversized walk-in wardrobe and ensuite. All of them will have oversized double garages.

“We’re going to put a lift in them all, so that it’s accessible for a lot of downsizers who don’t want to move into retirement homes, and they want to live close to Merivale Mall, close to the city.”

The property included a tennis court and a 320m2 4-bedroom, 3-bathroom home.

The Mansfield Ave plot was one of the last original large sections in the area, with most already subdivided to make way for higher-density development.

“It seems to be happening quite a lot in those, I guess I would say premium suburbs,” McCrory said.

“There’s a lot of downsizers who maybe are in older, colder homes. There’s a lot of options for them to move into a townhouse.

“But there’s not a lot of options for them to stay in the area, barely have to move or stay on the same site and get a nice standalone home, so that’s the market that we’re targeting.”