There was very little about the old villa near Kaipara Village to admire when Lindesay and Angela Stechman first saw it. In fact, when the agent told them about it they said, "Oh, no, not that old place".
Fortunately he persuaded them to go inside and as they stood in the beautifully renovated kitchen, Angela said to her husband: "Okay, let's make an offer".
"The interior was lovely, the exterior needed everything doing to it," Angela remembers.
So they did everything, from replacing the fretwork around the verandah to stripping the weatherboards back to bare kauri and rehanging all the windows. Everything was repainted, including the roof, the spoutings were replaced, and the sheds were renovated.
Craftsmen were employed to do the fine detail work; one was on site for 10 months.
Angela and Lindesay wanted some land so Angela could have her horses close by. And despite the off-putting exterior of the 1912 villa, the land and the location were perfect.
"You read about places with what are described as 'park-like grounds' and it really is like that here," Lindesay says.
"We've got 20 acres [8ha] of flat pasture, post-and-rail fencing, which we've put in, a stream, big stands of totara and pasture of exceptional quality. The property is alongside a 100-year-old tennis club and sports ground, so the only noise is the sound of cricket bats in the summer."
The land is well-drained and fenced into seven paddocks with stockyards. It's now grazing weaner calves, and the pasture provided an abundant hay crop this summer. The large barn complex has three loose boxes, hay storage, a lock-up implement shed and a tractor bay.
The villa has been beautifully renovated from the hardwood (probably matai) floors up.
Image 1 of 9: Horses in the paddock and the sounds of summer cricket next door. It really is like living in a park.
The backdrop to the open-plan living area is a classic wallpaper in charcoal and silver, which tones with charcoal benchtops and stainless steel appliances.
A butler's pantry has been added. In the formal sitting area, striped, plum-coloured wallpaper is topped by a frieze, and heavy brocade drapes complete the picture. This theme is followed through all the bedrooms.
The big bathroom has twin handbasins in a classic-style vanity, as well as an elegant claw-foot bath.
The living area has a wood burner and a ducted heating system. Above- and below-floor insulation ensure it's warm in winter and cool in the summer.
Angela says she particularly likes the solid feel of the kauri house and its good bones.
These have been preserved, thanks to the fact that, before Lindesay and Angela took it on, it was owned by two generations of the same family.
Although she and Lindesay have spent most of their time at the house working on it, this past summer has been a time for sitting back and enjoying it.
It has proved to be an excellent family home and great for entertaining -- "especially Sunday lunches," Angela says.
