SCHOOL ZONES:
St Heliers Bay Primary, St Ignatius Primary, Glendowie College.
CONTACT:
Vicki Wallace, Bayleys, 021 988 585.
This recently renovated property in one of St Heliers' prime streets is a refreshing and notable exception to the rushed renovation jobs sometimes seen.
Owners Dan Hari and Lynka Nazer have put serious thought into the makeover of their home, which is just a few minutes' walk from St Heliers village and beach.
The two-level house was built in the 1990s but could easily be mistaken for a brand new home, thanks to the meticulous building skill of Dan, who owns Onform Construction.
His company, which won the Master Builder Renovation of the Year award in 2012 for a house in Newmarket, specialises in high end residential work. So Dan knows from experience the value of investing in high quality renovations.
"We certainly did a 110 per cent job on this one," says Lynka.
The couple bought the house in 2012 and rented it out until they began their year-long renovation which was completed last September. The property appealed because of its great location, proximity to good schools and flexible layout, including two separate self-contained living areas.
The upstairs level also has great views of Rangitoto Island and Hauraki Gulf.
"Basically, the house already had all of the good features that you couldn't recreate in a property and we knew that we could give it that extra 'wow' factor by making the most of the view."
This involved altering some of the upstairs layout and extending the upstairs deck to wrap around the northern side of the house, but the basic footprint of the house is unchanged.
Its original plaster and weatherboard exterior has been replaced with sleek dark cedar weatherboards and the heavy tiled roof has been changed to aluminium.
All of the joinery has been replaced with double glazed windows and the house is fully insulated. It has a new kitchen and two new bathrooms with striking grey wall and floor tiles and top quality fittings.
"Sometimes it is hard to change an existing house but this is a good example of how you can completely revamp a tired 1990s home," says Dan, who has a reputation for careful attention to detail.
Image 1 of 6: This 1990s property was crisp to begin with. But a recent and comprehensive renovation has enhanced its lines to inside and out, to turn it into a showplace of contemporary style
The two-storey-high front entrance has a tall, commercial grade front door and glass balustrading on one side of the staircase leading upstairs.
A feature wall on the other side of the staircase has been clad in vertical boards and battens and finished with high gloss white paint to give the home an airy, bach-like feel.
Wide, antique, French oak floorboards add warmth to the predominantly black and white interior.
The downstairs level has a separate outside entrance and an internal door separating it from the rest of the house. Three double bedrooms are on this level. It also includes the internal access double garage with a laser-guided parking system, a second living room with a kitchen along one wall and a large outdoor deck and entertainment area fringed by mature palm trees.
On the upstairs level are the main kitchen, dining room and large lounge, which all have great sea views as well as the master bedroom, en suite, a separate toilet and an office, which could double as a fifth bedroom.
The entertainment system is cleverly concealed behind kitchen cabinetry and the fully fenced house includes ample storage and bookshelves.
