Gary Frazer spent two and a-half years renovating what was Goodmeats Butchery’s former Huron St location.
He said he framed and insulated all walls in the place, as it was all concrete and not insulated, before boarding it all up to create an unrecognisable home.
Mr Frazer had returned to Southland after spending 40 years in Western Australia building modular homes, and then renovated another cottage in Broughton St.
He has kept the butchery’s original layout, but added features to his personal taste, such as two skylights, one in a bedroom the other in the dining area.
The central room is lined with rimu timber, foraged from a nearby farm, and has recycled rimu beams that were once the floor joists of another old house.
Working for himself, Mr Frazer took his time, and had two six-week holidays to France during the project.
"The process was not difficult, but it was still time-consuming.
Tasks like sanding the paint off the recycled boards and re-staining them had added to the workload, he said.
The "beauty" of doing the reno for himself, not for a business, was that he had time to look for the right cabinet handles and light fixtures, and so on.
Apart from the recycled timber, he was most proud of the bathroom, which he thought turned out really well.
"It provokes curiosity in us to see something a little unique," she said.
Buyers had been impressed by the conversion, including women bringing their partners back to show what was possible, she said.
"There have been some very funny moments."
The property was a "lock up and go", offering all the benefits of apartment living while close to town and near the banks of the Mataura River, at an affordable price.
