A Wavell Heights home that concealed asbestos beneath layers of DIY plasterboard has sold following a renovation described in the listing as arguably the finest the suburb has seen in 2026.
Read: Wavell Heights : Local Property Market Snapshot
The property at 27 Abbey Street, a classic home on a 635 sqm block, was purchased for $861,500 during the busy pandemic market of 2021 by builder James Briskie and his partner Milli Mitchell. What they uncovered during the renovation presented serious challenges. Previous owners had sheeted plasterboard directly over asbestos-ridden walls, a discovery that added significant complexity to the project.
Mr Briskie, who heads up Briskie Construction Group, drew on his trade contacts and hands-on experience to push through.
Rather than demolishing the home and starting from scratch, the couple raised the structure and shifted it 2.5 metres across the block, preserving the home’s distinctive 45-degree angled facade, a heritage feature Mr Briskie described as wild and gnarly to work with.
The result is a five-bedroom, three-bathroom residence that balances contemporary luxury with Queenslander character. A standout kitchen anchors the ground floor, featuring curved cabinetry, a 90mm beige marble island bench and a concealed butler’s pantry.
Open-plan living and dining areas flow through glass sliding doors to an alfresco entertaining space complete with built-in barbecue, a pool and limestone crazy paving. Upstairs, a second living area sits alongside four bedrooms, including a lavish main suite with a balcony, dual walk-in robes and a designer ensuite with standalone bath and dual vanity.
The home was listed through Place agent Drew Davies via a best offers campaign and sold on 19 May.
Wavell Heights Riding a Renovation Wave
The sale comes amid a broader trend playing out across Wavell Heights and surrounding northern Brisbane suburbs. PropTrack quarterly data shows the suburb’s median house price has climbed 21 per cent over the past 12 months to $1.58 million. Analysts point to a combination of undersupply, buyer overflow from other markets, and a wave of high-spec renovations as factors underpinning the growth.
New Place Advisory data shows Queensland’s renovation spend has reached $2 billion this financial year to date, with Greater Brisbane responsible for more than half of that at $1.03 billion. Wavell Heights recorded $8.7 million in high-end reinvestment, a notable figure given the suburb’s size relative to larger northern neighbours like Chermside and Clayfield.
Place CEO Damian Hackett said the growing trend of homeowners choosing to upgrade rather than sell was effectively creating a buffer in the market. Renovated stock, he explained, lifts the benchmark for future sales across the board, with suburbs seeing strong renovation activity today likely to outperform over the medium term.
For Mr Briskie, the project carried a personal dimension beyond the numbers. Working his regular client jobs through the week and pouring nights and weekends into the renovation, he was candid about the toll that rising material costs took on the budget, even with the advantage of industry contacts and the ability to carry out much of the work himself.
Read: Pfingst Farmhouse in Wavell Heights: A Local Heritage Treasure
He has spoken about his enjoyment of restoring heritage and character in older homes, and his readiness to pass the finished product on for another family to enjoy. The home retains its Queenslander character on the facade, with the 45-degree angled frontage preserved as a defining feature, while the interiors are unambiguously contemporary. As Mr Hackett noted, that kind of reinvestment does not just benefit the individual owner but lifts comparable sales benchmarks for the wider suburb over time.
Published 4-June-2026
