Friend of the family in Westmere

37 Fife Street, Westmere, Auckland. Photo / by Ted Baghurst

37 FIFE ST WESTMERE

4

2

2

SIZE: Land 527sq m, house 192sq m (approx).

PRICE INDICATION: CV $1.14 million. Auction June 1.

INSPECT: Sat/Sun 12-12.45pm.

ON THE WEB: uprealty.co.nz/UPH 10590

SCHOOL ZONES: Westmere Primary, Ponsonby Intermediate, Western Springs College.

CONTACT: Dave Simons and Jennifer Temm Munns, Unlimited Potential, ph 361 6485 or 021 277 7579 (Dave) or 361 6489 or 027 222 1555 (Jennifer).

FEATURES: Immaculate 1920s bungalow, close to Cox's Bay. Close to the shops and cafes of Garnet Rd. Security, theatre systems and fireplace.

For many people, renovating a home is up there on the list of stressful things in life.

But for Paula Sadhu, transforming her 1920s bungalow was a "great experience. I thought it was a really nice process and I enjoyed it so much that I'd like to do it again", she says.

She and husband Aashis tackled the renovation four-and-a-half years ago, during what was a particularly traumatic time in Paula's life. Her dad had just been diagnosed with terminal cancer and she was pregnant with her youngest child, and often unwell.

Overseeing the building work was a way of keeping her mind off her troubles and when it was finished the sense of satisfaction was huge. "We got a completely new house," says Paula.

It's been eight years since the couple bought the home, then a rental property in need of some TLC. But they didn't rush into renovating; in fact, at one stage, they contemplated selling up. But they couldn't find anything else they liked and decided to stay.

Before starting the work they consulted experts like a professional kitchen designer, and also picked the brains of friends and family. A cousin who works for a home-staging company gave them advice on finding a stone hearth for the fireplace, and a friend helped them set up a theatre system which means they can plug iPods into speakers in any room in the house.

Aashis' family owns a Guthrie Bowron store, and he used his industry knowledge to get the best products on the market.

He also got recommendations for first-class tradespeople and was delighted with the high standard of work.

And Paula is glad she insisted on crisp white walls throughout - teamed with dark-stained wooden floor, they've given the home the stylish, contemporary look she was after.

The structural transformations included adding a new internal-access double garage, entrance way and master bedroom at the front of the house, and an open-plan living, dining and kitchen at the back. A small flight of steps leads from the entrance to the long central hallway, off which the four bedrooms are located. Daughters Raiya, Yasmin and Zara all have spacious double bedrooms with lots of storage space. Paula and Aashis' room has an en suite, walk-in wardrobe and private deck.

A television in the master bedroom is connected to the security camera at the front gate so the couple can see visitors arriving, and the state-of-the art system also takes a still photo whenever the door buzzer is pushed. "That means if we've been out and someone has come over, we can see who it is," says Paula.

The new living area features the gourmet kitchen complete with a pantry tucked around the corner and a large island bench. "The girls sit here and do their homework while I'm cooking and guests tend to gather around here too," says Paula.

The fireplace is the main focus of the living area, while the adjacent dining space has a wall of glass doors that open out to the paved patio and west-facing back garden.

A bathroom, separate toilet, laundry and study complete the layout.

The neighbourhood is child-friendly, thanks to the no-exit street and nearby walkway to popular Cox's Bay Park. The Sadhus will be sad to leave the area and the house, but they've decided to move across town to be closer to the girls' school. "It's going to be hard to leave the house but I think we will probably be back in Westmere one day - we love it around here."