Andy Lee has hit back after he was slammed for his extravagant renovation plans on his Melbourne mansion.
The funnyman, 44, and his partner, 35, have spent the last two years restoring a 150-year-old derelict home by the Yarra River in Melbourne.
As the protracted renovation continues, Andy took to Instagram on Friday to explain he and Rebecca’s build will feature two mansions connected with a tunnel.
Many slammed the comedian’s very extravagant design and accused him of ‘being out of touch’.
‘Definitely lost touch,’ one person said while another wrote: ‘Geez, how many people are living in this house?’
‘Lost touch with the common man for sure,’ a third commented.
Andy Lee has hit back after he was slammed for sharing his extravagant renovation plans on his Melbourne mansion
‘From both sides it’s just a modern monstrosity! WHY was the fabulous riverside view covered up?’ another questioned.
Andy hit back at the backlash and explained the couple are going to use the old house as an office.
[We have] plans to have an office each upstairs and a guest room on the ground floor,’ he said.
‘It’s designed so guests can visit but also have their own space.’
In the video posted to Instagram, Andy explained his extensive building plans to fans.
‘A lot of people have been asking what the hell are we doing with this house,’ Andy began the video. ‘That’s a very good question – I’ve wondered that as well.’
‘Here is a quick take. The main problem was the back of the house is its front because they used to arrive by the Yarra.’
He then revealed that the solution to the problem was to build a second house at the back of the original structure with both houses connected via an underground tunnel.
The funnyman, 44, and his partner, 35, have spent the last two years restoring a 150-year-old derelict home by the Yarra River in Melbourne
Andy hit back at the backlash and explained how the couple are going to use the old house as an office
‘We need to preserve that and that’s where you’d normally build off for an extension,’ he said.
‘So, the architects had a great idea which was to build a bit further back… so we could have a new building – the river house, a piazza in between, and we can look back at the heritage house.
‘They’ve also created a tunnel between the two so it’s connected.’
As he spoke, Andy shared architectural renders of the finished product, while continuing to offer details about the new river house.
‘We’ve decided we’re going to clad the newer build with an oxidised copper like the Statue of Liberty, so it’s kind of a greeny-blue and it will feel a lot more warmth and disappear into the sky,’ Andy explained.
He added that the plans had been met with his partner’s approval, saying: ‘Bec just lost her marbles when she saw this.’
Andy and Rebecca have grand plans for their Italianate manor, with the planned renovation worth an estimated $5 million having begun in 2023.
The comedian has been hard at work on the derelict Melbourne mansion, called Ravenswood, he bought for $8.5 million in 2021, in a Block-style rebuild.
The couple won council approval for their development application back in June 2023.
Other highlights planned for the 1,950 square metre holding include a home theatre, a gym, a swimming pool and a ‘mega bedroom’.
