SCHOOL ZONES:
Richmond Road Primary, Ponsonby Intermediate,
CONTACT:
Nic Blackie, Custom Real Estate, 021 505 964 or John Wills 021 333 053.
AUCTION:
Sunday, May 31.
When freelance writer Helene Ravlich bought her classic bay villa on Richmond Rd 22 years ago as a university student, her friends thought she was mad.
"The Ponsonby boom was starting to happen, but it was mostly over the other side," she says.
"Around here, Atomic was the only place with good coffee and SPQR had just opened."
The house had been tidied up nicely for sale and for many years Helene and various flatmates lived there comfortably. Then along came Jooles Clements, now Helene's husband, and it was time to move the property into a new era, as a bright and spacious family home.
"We did a major renovation seven years ago. It took nearly a year and we lived in it for the whole time. I don't think I could do that again," says Helene.
Much of the work was centred on strengthening the house; re-piling it and installing insulation.
Jooles and Helene also refurbished the kitchen, putting in a practical island bench and sink unit and adding French doors, which open to the back deck. They also put in a new bathroom, next to the separate toilet, and a compact laundry in a large cupboard.
The pair were keen to retain as much original character as possible, restoring the ornate ceilings and polishing kauri floorboards. They also kept the original fireplace in the lounge and the pot-belly stove behind it in the kitchen.
"We've never lit them though. We have a heat pump, which is very effective and it keeps us cool in summer, too.
By now there was a new family member with the arrival of Wolf, now 6, and a pupil at Richmond Road Primary School, an easy 10-minute walk from home. He originally occupied the middle bedroom, which Helene now uses as her office, moving later to his current lair, an ample space with great storage.
"The garden is safe for him to run around in and there's plenty of room inside, too," says Helene.
"As it happens, he's actually a quiet child who sits and plays happily."
Image 1 of 10: Popular inner-city suburb has grown up and gentrified around lovingly renovated home
At the front of the house lies the master bedroom, a large space with elegant floral curtains and a view to the front veranda.
Across the hall is the dining room, which enjoys a relaxed ambience with soft green walls and lovely leadlight windows.
As an added bonus in the back garden, with its lush sub-tropical plantings, is a studio-cum-man-cave where Jooles, a man of considerable artistic and musical talents, retreats when he can.
Having called this place home for such a long time, Helene has mixed feelings about leaving, but Jooles has an exciting new job as marketing and communications manager at Auckland Zoo, which makes Wolf's friends green with envy.
With that big change the family decided to make another and have bought a house just around the corner. They felt that they needed a new project.
"Once you've lived in central Ponsonby you really don't want to leave," says Helene. "Everything is within walking distance; I very rarely use my car and this is a nice block, with lovely neighbours," she says.
"Yet, I've loved the fact that this house is so peaceful and private. I'm an only child so I enjoy my time alone and there's a special tranquillity here. "It will be funny walking past it, with Wolf, on our way to school and I know that we'll always remember it as a very happy house."
