Bryan Storey says there is a good reason he's rejuvenated 100 or more mid-century units such as this throughout his career.
"These sorts of places have lasted since the late 50s and 60s and we know once we're done with them they'll be good to go for a long time more," he says.
"I think after the war builders had a fair bit of pride in what they were doing. Generally speaking, they're very well built, although you do come across the odd poorly built one which we steer well clear of.
"Units like this are square and they're solid, which makes them a good starting point to give a new lease of life to. Mind you, we do it properly from the roof down; it's not about just slapping on a lick of paint."
He bought this block of three two-bedroom units last September specifically to upgrade and resell. The $880,000 an owner-occupier paid for the rear one after it was auctioned is a good gauge of what the market thinks of the quality of these units.
The front unit of the three, Unit One, is now the only one available to buy as Bryan's son Ashton and his partner have taken the middle one.
Bryan says: "He recognised these units were in a great spot as soon as I bought them. It's quite rare to get good ones in a dead-end street like these are. It's a very appealing street, wide and treed, with no through traffic."
Carmen Ave residents who work in town can just walk to the end of the street and catch a bus in. They're only a couple of minutes' walk from Balmoral's cafes, shops and movie theatre, handy to motorway access and not far from Eden Park.
Owners in the block don't have to pay the body corporate fees that most apartment owners pay.
Another factor is that these units are on separate titles with exclusive use of their own outdoor areas. Unit One comes with what is effectively its own garden room. Its gated outdoor entertaining-barbecue area is nicely defined and made private by mature clipped hedging.
Image 1 of 7: Cul de sac combines privacy with proximity to shops, cafes and transport. Photos / Fiona Goodall, Getty Images
The horizontal band-sawn rusticated cedar weatherboards Bryan chose to add appeal to the front of the small block of brick-and-tile units are a vast improvement on the former ageing fibrolite.
He upgraded and enclosed what used to be a completely open front carport. This unit gets one of three car-parks behind auto-opening doors, bolstered by its own storage area and an off-street parking spot out front.
Other exterior improvements include the front stairs' new powder-coated aluminium balustrading and resurfacing of the decramastic roof.
Not long ago the interior sported ageing moss-green carpet, wallpaper and old vinyl floors but now it is clean, modern and easy-care. The new white kitchen with splash back of butcher's tiles features Italian-engineered timber flooring.
Timber blinds and new grooved doors continue the clean lines.
Bryan likes the way the living-dining area has an elevated view down to the quiet street "so there'll always be something for the owner to observe, like passersby and neighbourhood goings-on".
The main bedroom with a generous wall of wardrobing and second bedroom are accompanied by a smartly tiled bathroom including an oversized shower.
Bryan says the thorough rejuvenation included skim-coating all the walls to ensure a quality paint finish and redoing 80 per cent of the unit's electrical and plumbing components.
