A decade-long renovation has paid off for the owners of a house in Highfields.
Hardwood House, a four-bedroom, two-bathroom home at 54 Highfields Parade listed with Teresa Heighington of Ray White Newcastle Lake Macquarie, fetched a suburb record after selling at auction.
The auction had three registered bidders and the 841-square-metre property had price guidance from $1.7 million.
The owners, Frank Da Pozzo and his partner Lyn, spent more than a decade transforming the original 1960s weatherboard house, using timber and bricks salvaged from historic sites around Newcastle.
Materials included recycled timbers sourced from the Fernleigh Track railway line and the Wickham Wool Stores.
"We had over 50 groups attend the open homes, so there was a lot of people looking at it wanting to see what the owners did with the renovation and all of that beautiful timber," she said.
"That was a real drawcard for people and the three bidders that we had were all in love with the way the timber was brought into the home, and having that history too.
"It also had a fantastic outdoor area with bench seats made out of the Fernleigh Track timbers, which was very popular."
The property sold for $1.9 million under auction conditions after back and forth negotiations between two of the bidders.
The result topped the previous record for Highfields set in August 2025 at $1.785 million with the sale of a 1950s-built house backing onto the Fernleigh Track at 40 Valaud Crescent.
By comparison, that property comprised five bedrooms and two bathrooms on a 1208-square-metre block.
All three of the bidders at the auction were local to the region, including two young families.
The successful bidder was from the Hunter Valley.
"They wanted to be closer to the city, but liked the idea of the privacy that was offered at the home," she said.
Ms Heighington said the attention to detail and quality of finishes helped to achieve the record-breaking $1.9 million sale price.
"It was a property that you couldn't put a price on," she said.
"Everything was considered and on-point, it was done to perfection."
According to Cotality records, the property was last sold in 2010 for $408,000.
The floor plan comprises four bedrooms, including the split-level master with an ensuite with a timber vanity (using wood sourced from The Wool Stores at Wickham), a freestanding bathtub, a skylight and deck access.
In the kitchen and dining area is a timber breakfast bar and a sliding barn door crafted from timber from the historic Silk House building in Newcastle.
There are three additional bedrooms and a second living area opening to the backyard with an undercover hardwood deck and a built-in concrete outdoor barbecue kitchen.
The backyard also has a fire pit area and a separate private studio.
According to Cotality, the median house value in Highfields is $1.09 million.
