A Valentine's Day $7.45 million sale for Balmain heartbreaker home

It's fitting that this grand Victorian Italianate home sold for $7.45 million just before Valentine's Day as its backstory is all about falling in love.

While living in London, the current owners used to stay with friends in Balmain during their trips to Sydney.

Sarah says she remembers walking down Birchgrove Road and often stopping to admire number 68.

"I'd walk past this house every day during our stays," she says. "I'd always pause on the footpath for a moment as I passed the house and wish to myself that one day I could live in a house just like it."

Years later, while making the move back to Australia, the house appeared on a quiet sales list with an agency Sarah had been in touch with.

"I was 95 per cent sure it was the house I had always admired," she says.

Hoping it was the home they'd loved for all of those years, Sarah and her partner bought it sight unseen - relying on her father to inspect it and give them the thumbs up.

"When we landed back in Australia, having already bought the house, I went directly from the airport to Balmain," she recalls. "I stood on the footpath in front of our now new home and was very much relieved to see that we had indeed bought the house that I had always admired!"

Despite being very much in love with the house, it wasn't without its problems.

"The house was cold and dark inside with virtually no natural light coming through even though it faces northwest," says Sarah.

"The garden was heavily planted with Bangalow and Kentia palm trees and, with only small windows to the back, these trees effectively blocked out the view, the light and the warmth."

The couple enlisted the help of architect Daniel Boddam and interior designer Cameron Kimber to help bring light in, reveal the views and create a modern family home.

It was also important to them to retain as "much of the beauty and character of the original Victorian Italianate period home as possible".

Set over three levels, the home features four bedrooms, three bathrooms, a combination of formal and informal living spaces and a modern kitchen with butler's pantry.

The house is now filled with light and beautiful water views from the balconies on the first and second floors.

The outdoor spaces include an alfresco entertaining area with integrated barbecue, saltwater swimming pool, and beautiful landscaped gardens by Good Manors.

Having a seamless transition between the pool area and the interior spaces was very important to Sarah.

"I wanted the pool to be located right up by the house, virtually integrating itself with the foundations of the house itself," she says. "I love the connection of the house to the water."

When it comes to her favourite feature in the home, Sarah finds it difficult to choose just one.

"I am particularly proud of the 'S' steel to the back of our house," she says. "That came about as a way to preserve the view from the small upper level Victorian balcony off the middle bedroom and to also honour that balcony.

"Preserving it as a feature was important to us and the result was the creation of a very dynamic and unique roof line."

Not wanting to limit herself to one feature, her second favourite is the back deck.

"I love the way our back deck, off our kitchen and living room, juts out over the steel which in turn straddles the pool.

"It is a very dynamic design."

68 Birchgrove Road, Balmain is currently listed for sale by Andrew Liddell and Madeleine Este from BresicWhitney Balmain. The price guide is $6 million. An auction is scheduled for February 14 at 9.45am.