Seaside cottage ‘a little wonky’, but owner’s had 60 good years

It’s only 63m² and it’s a tiny bit crooked, but this cute cottage has been home to Marlene for most of her life. It’s where she brought up her son and where she made friends over six decades.

But Marlene recently made the tough decision to move from her much-loved seaside suburb of Sumner in Christchurch to an “over 50s” unit in Norwood. “She knew it was time to safety proof her future,” says Anthony Deyn of Harcourts, who has listed her home with Andrea Rickerby.

“Marlene has been very happy here,” Deyn says. “Her wee cottage is steeped with history. She loved how the hills embraced her. The neighbours have all come over to talk to us about her - everyone knows Marlene; she worked in the local supermarket. And right up to last month, she was still doing the garden. She is very sprightly.”

Marlene told us she was born in the Banks Peninsula and Sumner has “always felt like home”. Her worker’s cottage survived the Christchurch earthquakes, but they revealed something a little unusual that no-one had taken much notice of before - the little house was built a wee bit wonky back in the 1890s.

As mentioned in the listing: “Character comes with quirks - and like many homes of its vintage, some floor levels sit outside modern tolerances. But that's all part of the story.”

Deyn says the cottage did have EQ repairs and is fully insured, but a heritage re-leveller discovered in 2012 that the uneven floor had always been that way. “What it means is that it’s not so simple to fix, as everything else was built aligned with those levels, including the windowsills and guttering, for example.”

A re-leveller has quoted $75k to level the house, should the next owner wish to do that. However, the house has functioned as is, for the past 130 years.

The cottage comprises a lounge, kitchen, two bedrooms - one with an office space - a laundry and bathroom. And there is a separate hobby room outside, which eventually became Marlene’s son’s bedroom. Other outbuildings are a single garage and a garden shed.

There are many authentic character features in the house, including the original painted match lining on some of the walls. Other features include French doors opening to the typical pretty cottage garden.

There’s plenty of scope for a refresh or refurbishment, or a rebuild to update the property. But Deyn says the uneven build will be reflected in the price.

“Typically, two-bedroom properties in Sumner go for $800,000-plus, and the RV on this one is $800,000. But, realistically, we are quoting the land value, which is $490,000, and estimating it [the sale price] will be ‘better than $500,000’. It’s super cute.”

Deyn says 19 groups came through the house last weekend in the first open homes, and there have been more since.

The property, at 63 Dryden St, Sumner, Christchurch will be auctioned on October 16, 2025.

Property market update: Cotality NZ chief property economist, Kelvin Davidson says September’s slight rise in national property values of 0.1% is consistent with lower mortgage rates as well as early tentative signs of an economic turnaround and an upward trend in property sales volumes.

The national median value now sits at $810,141. The percentage increase in Ōtautahi Christchurch was the largest of any of the main centres, coming in at 0.6% for the month of September.