Peter and Susan Taylor's connection to their property on Ingram Road, midway between Ramarama and Bombay, well pre-dates their purchase in 1980.
"We moved from our farm in Pukekawa to Peter's parents' estate," says Susan. "Colleen and Stuart's property had this pretty run-down house that we called the cottage.
"It had holes in the floors and the rain came through the ceiling. It was pretty disgusting — our friends were horrified.
"The farm had been part of the Ingram estate, called Princess Plains. It was mentioned in the New Zealand Herald in 1893. When we ripped the scrim off the walls in the house, we found papers from 1908."
The couple, whose kids were then only 4 and 2, took on the renovation of the old house, camping from room to room as it was re-piled, re-roofed and re-Gibbed, and the bathroom and kitchen updated.
The carpet would move up and down in a wind, but luckily there were two working fireplaces so the Taylors could at least stay warm. "We went through lots of wood."
Colleen had put in a cottage garden that was the scene of many a district open day, and her paintings of the rustic scenes around the property were well known.
After she moved away, Susan and Peter moved into the main house, renting out the cottage.
Sadly cattle destroyed Colleen's garden overnight, but the mature ginkgo, oak and jacaranda trees the younger couple planted still graciously frame the driveway and paddock views.
Last year the Taylors completely overhauled the cottage. They started by upgrading insulation and replacing one of the fireplaces with a modern gas one, leaving a pretty mantlepiece intact in one of the bedrooms (it would need a safety check before using again, Susan says).
202A Ingram Road, Ramarama. Photo / Supplied
They added french doors and upgraded the kitchen window, put in new paint and carpet, updated the wiring and added LED lighting. The two original living spaces are now ideal for casual/summer or more formal/winter living.
But their biggest improvements were to completely modernise the kitchen and bathroom they'd put in all those decades ago. In the kitchen, a new wood floor grounds sparkling new white cabinets and new appliances.
The Taylors kept the vintage light fixture, bringing back a touch of country charm with the subway tile backsplash.
The kitchen and dining room open to a dining deck, while other formal rooms and bedrooms open to the original wrap-around verandah.
202A Ingram Road, Ramarama. Photo / Supplied
Once they started on exterior renovations, Peter and Susan soon found that the pavers needed replacing, adding pretty garden beds with buxus hedging, a nod to Colleen's old cottage garden.
All the rooms have the tall ceilings of old, complemented by villa-stye beading. One of the bedrooms has french doors to the verandah, a sun trap in the mornings.
The luxury bathroom has all new fixtures and striking tile — Peter and Susan say they have finally banished all memories of the old red formica vanity and red toilet seat they encountered when they first moved in all those years ago. And underfloor heating is an improvement on the old flooring that moved in the breeze.
202A Ingram Road, Ramarama. Photo / Supplied
The house, a handy seven minutes' drive from either Bombay or Ramarama motorway exits, shares a boundary with the well known Maxwell's golf course, a favourite place for weddings and events.
