SCHOOL ZONES:
Westmere Primary, Western Springs College.
CONTACT:
John Erceg, ph 021 995 866.
"We concentrated on making it the best family home we could."
"Lock the kids in with a DVD, while the adults party in the kitchen!" When three energetic and imaginative young builders met up and discovered they had lots in common, what was there to do but find a sleepy little bungalow with good bones in practically original condition on one of Westmere's best streets, and give it a whole new lease on life?
Thomas Rowe, Simon Watson and Rhys Hancock could all see the home's enormous potential the moment they laid eyes on it, and wasted no time enlisting an architect to begin drawing up plans.
"There was no need to move the existing house at all," explains Rhys.
"We just concentrated on rearranging and adding to it in a way that's natural -- and flows well."
Working out a plan and sticking to it has been the key to this trio's successful renovation.
"Rhys is our sequencing man. He's the one who's good at keeping things ticking along, so he did a lot of the co-ordination of sub-contractors too," offers Thomas.
"When it came to decision-making, we generally found that we were thinking along pretty much the same lines and if a vote was needed, that was fine. We just got on with it. You can't afford to spend days-on-end arguing about door handles!"
Thomas has a background in bathroom design so he had significant say on the two bathrooms, and separate downstairs toilet.
"As with all of us, I have loads of friends and contacts in the business though, and we've had a huge amount of input from those people."
"Yes, it's great that everyone was really interested in our project," adds Simon.
The floor area of the house has increased from the original 96sq m to an impressive 254sq m, with the addition of a large airy extension which houses an open-plan entertainer's kitchen (with scullery) and vast living/dining space.
"A few people have commented that the scullery alone is about the size of their kitchen at home!" says Rhys with evident pride.
An upstairs addition includes a generous master bedroom suite with bathroom and walk-in wardrobe, plus an intimate balcony from which previously-unseen water views can now be enjoyed.
Downstairs at the front of the property, in what is essentially the "old house", lie three ample bedrooms, although the builders did imagine that one could be used as a second living area depending on a particular family's needs.
"Lock the kids in there with a DVD, while the adults party in the kitchen!" suggests Simon.
As he looks at the double-glazed windows, new American oak flooring, ducted gas heating and gas fireplace, Rhys reflects: "Because we've done everything to the highest standards, in many ways this is pretty much a complete new-build, and it might have been easier starting from scratch.
"Yet we looked around this established area with its lovely old homes and felt that brand new houses don't always fit in particularly well. We all appreciated the good things about the original building so we concentrated on honouring its heritage and making it the best family home that we could."
Neighbours overlooking the property have also enjoyed the process of seeing a "new" house take shape -- especially when the heated pool was installed, the landscaping was implemented and finishing touches were completed.
"Some of them even baked cakes for us," laughs Simon. "They've all been really nice and we can highly recommend them to the new owners!"
When asked how they're going to feel when their "baby" is sold to an excited new family, Thomas and Simon both turn to Rhys with a smile.
Image 1 of 7: 116 West End Road, Westmere. Photo / Ted Baghurst
"He's expecting a real-life baby," they explain.
"But first there's a surfing holiday to Indonesia," adds Rhys.
"And then it's back to Auckland to decide what we'll do next!"
