'Financially brilliant': the property that's the last of its kind on this eastern suburbs street
The property has home at the front and a factory at the rear. Photo: Supplied

'Financially brilliant': Rare house and factory for sale in Matraville

It’s not uncommon to see warehouses in Sydney’s Matraville, a suburb close to the industrial areas adjacent to the airport and port Botany, but it is rare to have a factory in the backyard of a house.

That’s just what this 520-square-metre property has – a rare combination of industrial, commercial and residential zoning all on the one freehold title, and this is tipped to make it hotly contested, according to the agent.

After 31 years the owners, Joyce and Craig Lewis, are selling up and moving to Pagewood to live next to their daughter.

They bought the property in 1988 for $230,000 and until they retired seven years ago ran their business Lewis and Lewis building ornate private libraries from the factory at the back. The property is for sale for $2.6 million.

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The factory at the rear of the Matraville property. Photo: Supplied

“We were the only people that made private libraries, to house incredible collections of books,” Jenny Lewis said.

“All our clients were lovely, we only had four of those jobs a year but now book collections are becoming less available and less common, libraries are more expensive.

“Living and work on the same property was really good for us because we’d have clients come to the workshop in the evenings and we’d be in the house.

“It’s financially brilliant because it means you aren’t paying rent on, or buying two properties.”

The three-bedroom house was built in 1952 and the factory was built 20 years later.

It’s the last house standing on the street: there were other cases of houses and factories on the same title but they have all been knocked down to expand the industrial buildings.

The house has been renovated and features an elaborate marble fireplace and private library installed by the couple.

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The property is close to the airport and Port Botany terminal. Photo: Supplied

The 230-square-metre factory at the rear has a height clearance of 3.55 metres and the site has three parking spaces.

Selling agent Robert Micallef, of Robert Allen Property, said warehouses were highly sought-after and this one had the advantage of being close to the airport, the city and Port Botany terminal.

“It would be well suited to someone like the current owner who had a similar kind of business or any tradie that needs a warehouse, anyone who needs a large space to store goods or material, although it wouldn’t be good for motor mechanics because the driveway isn’t very wide,” he said.

“There’s a lot of demand for this sort of thing for businesses who are already up and running, and warehouses are hot property at the moment.”

Mr Micallef said Matraville was “up and coming” and industrial properties in the area were becoming more highly sought-after.

“Eastern Sydney has had a lot of rezoning and more residential properties being built and it’s eaten into the industrial land. Which has made that land more attractive as well as more expensive and more competitive to acquire,” he said.

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