Riccarton House is used as a restaurant and for functions, and a popular market is held on Saturdays in front of it.

The site for the house had been chosen by John Deans and cleared before his death, but no building work was undertaken during his lifetime.

Many of the doors and windows were bought from surplus that John Watts-Russell had brought with him for his own house.

A substantial addition was made in 1874 so that she could host guest for her son's twenty-first birthday; his coming of age.

[6] John Deans II commissioned Robert England to design an extension befitting a Victorian gentleman.

Unlike other homesteads built in Christchurch in the 1890s, the design for Riccarton House was restrained.

This was in keeping with Deans' conservative style, his Presbyterian upbringing, but possibly also a reflection that he was in some economic difficulty.

The newel posts of the main staircase are capped with carved acorns to show the provenance of the timber.

[8] The house was also fitted with electric lighting, with the power generated by the water wheel installed on the property in 1853.

[10] The September 2010 Canterbury earthquake caused damage to six of the seven chimneys, with a brick falling through the ceiling into what used to be Jane Deans' bedroom.

The heritage architect on the project was Tony Ussher and Simon Construction was appointed as builder.

[14] The Deans family owned the house and grounds until 1947 when the property was sold to Christchurch City Council.