Westmere: Meeting the better half

A couple have done a great job of completing the half-done renovation of a bungalow.

Address: 22 Livingstone Street, Westmere.

The house of two halves. That's what Graeme Atmore and his wife Liz Ah Kuoi called this house when they bought it eight years ago.
``The back half had been open up and modernised, while the front hadn't had the same treatment,'' remembers Liz.

``When you opened the front door and went into the hallway it felt really claustrophobic, but then as you moved through to the back, the spaces opened up and it felt all warm and lovely and welcoming.''

Liz and Graeme wanted the whole place to feel like this, so they concentrated on bringing the front of the 1920s bungalow in line with its more modern other half.

Working with the existing layout, they raised the height of the doorways and hung new, contemporary, custom-made doors along the hall, which instantly created a more spacious feel.

The master bedroom, which was probably the lounge in days gone by, sits to the right as you step inside the front door. The walk-in wardrobe and en suite were already in place, but Graeme and Liz improved them further and gave a fireplace a stylish concrete surround.

Across the hallway is the second bedroom, which has built-in twin wardrobes and an unusual curved wall.
``We once met this lady in her 80s who had lived in the house years ago,'' says Graeme. ``She told us how her husband had spent ages shaping the curve in that wall.''

Graeme and Liz have made a nice feature of it by adding a funky light fitting.

Moving along the hallway, there's the third bedroom, laundry and the main bathroom.

Having completed the revamp of the front part of their home, Graeme and Liz turned their attention to the old garage at the side of the property.
``We made it into a guest room and en suite for when Graeme's parents came to stay,'' says Liz.

``Then we had my niece staying with us for a while, and we wanted to make her feel part of the family. We decided to link the house with the sleep out by creating a little family area off the kitchen. It works really well, as whoever's in the guest room can come and go as they please, but the room is still connected to the main house. It's great for teenagers.''

One of the reasons Graeme and Liz bought the property was for its big back yard, which meant space for a heated in-ground swimming pool, hot water shower and fantastic outdoor entertaining area, complete with gas fireplace.

They also remodelled and landscaped the front garden, building a new stone wall and installing electric security gates for the driveway.
Parting with the house has been a difficult decision for the couple.
``We actually put it on the market last year and took it off after a week as we just couldn't do it,'' says Graeme.

But now the time is right, says Liz, who is looking forward to living in nearby Westend Road in a new townhouse with Graeme and their three children, Keneti, 11, Isaac, 8, and 4-year-old Maraea.

VITAL STATISTICS

BEDROOMS: 4

BATHROOMS: 3

GARAGES: 2

SIZE: Land 713sq m, house 190sq m.

PRICE INDICATION: Buyer interest in the region of $1 million. Auction July 1.

INSPECT: Sat/Sun 2.15-3pm.

ON THE WEB: www.ljhooker.co.nz

CONTACT: Steven Glucina or Sue Hatton, LJ Hooker Ponsonby, ph 376 7530, 021 888 455 (Steven), 0272 799 696 (Sue).

FEATURES: Classic-looking bungalow with modern interior, guest accommodation, in-ground swimming pool, two off-street car parks and security gates.