Mt Roskill: Added Value

23 Winstone Rd, Mt Roskill

For years, Jan Osborne felt a prisoner in her own kitchen - a poky space far removed from the buzz of family life.

"There were so many little rooms that I always felt I was locked away in here," she says. The 1920s Californian bungalow had an impractical little galley kitchen, with "big cupboards around the top that I couldn't reach, so they were always empty".

Now the kitchen is the vibrant hub of this Mt Roskill home; a warm and open place which seamlessly merges with the family-dining area, and spills out through glass doors onto a courtyard with an outdoor fireplace.

The Osbornes bought their first home 13 years ago, but couldn't afford to renovate straight away. Two years ago, Jan and her husband Andrew decided to "take the plunge" and transform the back half of the house.

Andrew is an electrician by trade, so he ran the project. The couple called on the help of friends, like kitchen maker Roger Smith.

Smith encouraged them to tear pictures from magazines of their dream kitchen and draw up a wishlist - of what they had to have, and what they would like to have.

"We had to have a substantial island," Andrew laughs, slapping the bench top. It's 1800mm by 1000mm of solid Australian hardwood jarrah. Jan can be making dinner on one side, while the girls sit on stools doing their homework on the other.

Beneath the surface is a cornucopia of storage - book shelves at one end, baskets filled with bills and school notices at the other. In the centre there are drawers and cupboards.

The cabinetry in the new kitchen is Melteca in a jarrah colour, while the benchtops are earth-toned Formica.

"We could have had a granite benchtop, but we didn't want to go overboard with the budget," Jan says.

"The only thing we had to be careful of was making the kitchen too dark - so we went for frosted glass in the cupboard doors and the splashback to lighten it up."

To save further costs, they placed the new appliances in the same spots where the old ones had been.

The Osbornes spent $35,000 on the total fit-out. The kitchen cabinetry (without appliances) was $13,000.

When the Osbornes bought this home, on the second week of their honeymoon, most of the Californian bungalow was in its original state, and they have kept many of the traditional 1920s features through the rest of the house.

They admit that it's sad to be leaving the house now they have their dream kitchen in place, but know the next owners will have many happy times "on their island".

Vital Statistics

SIZE: Land 590sq m.

PRICE INDICATION: Interest expected above $400,000. Auction April 23.

INSPECT: Sat and Sun 12.30pm-1pm.

CONTACT: Paul Raynes, Harveys, ph 621 0166, 021 922 982.