IT was one of the last of its kind, a heritage-listed home that harked back to the early days of the colony.

And within its walls were preserved some of the few ­remaining examples of building techniques used to create our first residential homes.

However, just days after snapping up the Georgian terrace house on Argyle Place at Millers Point, new owner Lloyd Adams began gutting it, even ignoring orders from a council inspector to stop.

media_camera The heritage home on Argyle Place, Millers Point, has spectacular views of Sydney.

But the over-enthusiastic renovator dodged the maximum penalty of $1.1 million in the NSW Land and Environment Court this week, escaping with a fine of just $60,000.

Adams, a health care worker, paid $1.7 million for the colonial-era property, one of a number of publicly owned houses that had been used to accommodate housing commission tenants, in November, 2014.

He planned to turn it into a family home.

media_camera Inside the house where development was carried out without consent. Picture: Gregg Porteous

It is one of five terrace houses that are an integral part of Millers Point, the “earliest residential precinct in Australia still in residential use today”, Justice Brian Preston SC told the court when sentencing Mr Adams.

“They are the survivors of the series of buildings in The Rocks and Millers Point constructed by the local publican, William Cole, in the mid 1840s,” he said.

“The terrace of houses is a rare surviving example of modest housing built shortly after the introduction of building regulations in Sydney.”

Justice Preston said no other surviving mid-1840s ­examples have been located.

Most of the home’s original plaster on the internal ground and first floor walls was listed as “being of exceptional significance”.

media_camera Inside the heritage-listed Millers Point home.

The same went for the original timber joinery, including the skirtings, architraves and doors, along with the timber chimney piece in the bedroom.

Within a week of buying the property, Mr Adams ­removed skirting boards and other joinery, and internal plaster, the court heard.

Responding to a complaint, a City of Sydney Council officer went to the house and directed Mr Adams to stop the works.

Mr Adams defied the order and removed plaster from the walls in various rooms, a plaster board ceiling in one room and a lath framing from a ceiling in another room.

media_camera The renovations taking place inside the Millers Point property.

There was no cataloguing of the timber pieces, meaning they could not be restored to their original location.

The council then sent Mr Adams a formal stop work order and he was charged with carrying development without consent.

Adams pleaded guilty last month and was given a 25 per cent discount on his sentence, but was ordered to pay Sydney City legal costs of $35,000.

Adams told the court he was waiting to see how much he would be fined so he could assess whether he could ­afford to pay for repair works.

media_camera The kitchen of the heritage-listed home.

Millers Point Resident ­Action Group chairman John McInerney said it was exactly what his group hoped to avoid when opposing full private ownership of the historic houses instead of heavily ­restricted 99-year leases.