The 150-year history of The Cottage Homes has seen a great deal of change. One thing however remains unchanged – our commitment to providing safe and affordable housing that meets the specific needs of our 130 residents.
Our buildings range from 120-year-old heritage-listed cottages to modern late twentieth century units. Ongoing refurbishments and maintenance both externally and internally ensure our seven sites across Adelaide remain safe, suitable, and welcoming places to call home.
This process is expertly managed by our Property Projects and Maintenance Committee which meets monthly and holds annual inspections to assess work to be done and ensure that we’re on top of major upgrades and future properties to support growth.
In 2022, Findon saw external improvements to footpaths, lighting, car parking and the additions of raised garden beds and outdoor communal meeting areas. At Toorak Gardens, aging bricks have been repaired on a heritage building that’s over a hundred years old. Every year the external paint is refreshed at one of our sites, with Ascot Park and Parkside the latest to enjoy this.
2024 has seen a new four-bay car park provide more off-street parking for residents at Prospect, a review of the insulation and electrical capacity at all sites to improve heating and cooling and a major $1.3 million external upgrade at Mitcham which has enhanced safety and added an outdoor communal area.
This year has also seen an internal refurbishment of approximately ten units across all sites which we do annually to make sure that our cottages continue to be modern, safe and meeting residents changing needs.
At each of our seven sites, the shared indoor and outdoor spaces nurture friendship and a sense of community for residents, their families, and volunteers.
Outdoor barbeque and green areas provide a place to meet a neighbour, share a yarn, enjoy a meal, or simply sit and watch the world go by. Meeting halls provide a space to gather for weekly drinks and nibbles, get lost in a book, do a jigsaw puzzle, or host a family dinner or committee meeting. Some even become hairdressing salons! A recently built pergola at Findon is providing a peaceful contemplation space and a new central barbecue area is bringing people together, with some long-term residents reportedly meeting for the first time on the day it opened!
Both over 115 years old, the communal meeting halls and kitchens at Mitcham and Prospect have been rejuvenated with improved lighting, new furniture and appliances, fresh paint, floor coverings and cabinetry.
Graham Hardy, our ‘honorary’ architect has played a large part in maintaining and upgrading our buildings and infrastructure for over 40 years. Graham says this constant endeavour to improve the standard of accommodation and quality of life reflects how greatly The Cottage Homes cares for residents. The most rewarding part of Graham’s work with The Cottage Homes has been “working with motivated people with similar ideals to provide a safe place to call home through good, affordable facilities set in a pleasant preferably leafy environment that stimulates a sense of community.”
These restorations and others to come are not just about renewing the physical spaces; it’s about improving the wellbeing of residents to ensure our communities can continue to thrive for the next hundred years and beyond.
