Mt Eden: Added value

21 Kenyon Ave, Mt Eden.

Murphy McDade likes to think of himself not so much as a developer or speculator, but more a conservationist.

He takes old, tired villas and bungalows that are no longer needed and moves them to a new setting in Auckland. Then he breathes a second wind into them, revamping them for the needs of the 21st century family.

In most cases, that entails removing internal walls to create open plan living spaces, and working an en suite bathroom into the floorspace. Sometimes it can also mean having to juggle the layout to craft a third bedroom.

Murphy is unsure where the bungalow at 21 Kenyon Street lived the first era of its life. It was moved to its current site by a man Murphy calls "one of Auckland's last Steptoes", who collected two old unwanted bungalows and placed them on his large Mt Eden property behind the family home.

Murphy purchased and refurbished all three houses. They sit side-by-side at the end of a long driveway, each with their own privacy created by plaster walls and water features.

The house at the end of the lane is the last to be sold. Murphy insisted on retaining the special features of the house, keeping the leadlight windows, beautiful native timber floors and window seats. The double front doors, which open to a wide entranceway, remain from the house as Murphy found it, and he has kept the large wall of picture windows in the open-plan living area.

Murphy had considered putting new bifold doors here, opening on to a kwila deck and grassed backyard, but "the picture was already here".

The kitchen is in its original spot, but has been replaced with modern cabinetry and appliances. An internal wall was removed to create the large space encapsulating kitchen, dining and lounge.

The house was originally two bedrooms, but Murphy juggled the floorplan to fit in a third, without having to build an expensive extension. The original lounge has been turned into the main bedroom - a clever little en suite fashioned from the old sunporch. He has built wardrobes into the three generous bedrooms.

The backyard, bordered by a wall of historic Mt Eden scoria, has established trees and luxuriant green grass, thanks to a few rolls of ready lawn laid over the top of seaweed-rich West Coast black sand.

Murphy admits to being a bit of a Steptoe himself - collecting old treasures like leadlight windows and native timber skirtings at his factory in Morningside to renovate past beauties. "If I see an old villa door lying in an inorganic collection, I'll throw it straight on the back of the truck," he says.

"It is like conservation - we take old houses and fit them into Auckland's jigsaw.

"People are coming back to these older homes, especially if they grew up in one. And today's furniture seems to fit perfectly with these period houses."

MURPHY'S LAW

Developer Murphy sticks to five rules when evaluating whether an old house is worth purchasing. "If it doesn't measure up to the rules, it will be a big cost to fix," he says.

Knock on the interior walls as you walk past to check they are Gibbed. The cost of Gibbing an average-sized bungalow will be more than $10,000.Count the number of bedrooms and bathrooms. If there are not three bedrooms and two bathrooms, see if there is room to create them within the imprint of the existing house.

Look inside the meter box to see if there is new wiring.

Is the house on blocks? Look under the house, or along the weatherboard line - if the boards are wavy, not straight, the blocks need re-doing.

Is there off-street parking?

Vital Statistics

SIZE: Land 532sqm, house approx 115 sqm.

PRICE INDICATION: $650,000 plus.

INSPECT: Sat/Sun 1-2pm.

CONTACT: Dee McDade, LJ Hooker, 021 448 832, or 378 9974.

FEATURES: Recently refurbished bungalow with original native timber floors, leadlights, new kitchen. Close to Dominion Road shops and in Grammar zones.