SCHOOL ZONES:
Westmere Primary, Pasadena Intermediate, Western Springs College.
CONTACT:
David Simons 021 277 7579 or Jennifer Temm Munns 027 222 1555.
AUCTION:
August 6.
2 Off street parks.
Doing up your home can become a daunting, confusing exercise that involves choosing from a vast range of products while comparing cost to quality.
Not so for Melanie Tracy, who has masterfully renovated the cute character bungalow she bought in 2007 after wanting for years to live in the sunny suburb.
For the nearly nine years Melanie has lived in Cumberland Ave, she has also worked with architects and owners to design houses all over Auckland for her employer, Jalcon Homes.
The job she loves has also given her the skills to develop the potential of this four-bedroom home, which was built in the Arts and Crafts style in 1926.
"I loved the old character of this home when I saw it because I am used to working in new homes every day," says Melanie.
She also loved that the house faces north and is sunny, is not looked in on by neighbouring houses and has good street appeal.
Finding something that ticked all of those boxes was not easy. Melanie and her late husband, Larry, who died 10 years ago, had spent years looking for a house in Westmere when they lived further out west, but never found what they wanted.
A year after Larry died, Melanie was shown this house. She could finally fulfil her dream. She is only the third owner of the property, which had been renovated and extended before she bought it.
The front of the house still retained most of its original features including leadlight windows and panelled glass doors.
While respecting the home's era and not altering its footprint, Melanie upgraded to give it a comfortable, modern and high quality feel.
Her improvements have included putting in new carpet, an HRV system and insulation throughout the house plus a new kitchen where she has extended the floor to create room for a breakfast bar.
This space steps down to a north-facing dining and family room that opens to the back garden.
Image 1 of 14: The good looks and liveability of a cosseted 1926 city fringe bungalow are tempting
A small, old deck has been replaced by a much more spacious one with "sitting steps". These lead down to the garden, where Melanie has put raised vegetable planters in front of a pretty garden shed that sits at the end of the driveway.
From the back deck you can look over neighbouring rooftops to catch a view of Te Atatu Peninsula.
There are polished rimu and matai floors at the back of the house, where there's the laundry, bathroom and a separate toilet.
Melanie says there is plenty of room for new owners to rearrange these spaces, and she believes the fourth bedroom could be transformed into a second bathroom.
The front door is sheltered by the original porch, which features original leadlights. To the right of the entranceway is a large front bedroom facing the street and this has a 3m-wide wardrobe.
Directly ahead is the master bedroom -- formerly the main lounge -- where panelled double doors open to an elegantly landscaped, fenced front courtyard that is bathed in morning sun.
Melanie has added white plantation shutters to the doors in this room and to the windows in two of the other bedrooms. The master bedroom also has a spacious walk-in wardrobe.
"I did everything that a female would want," she says.
To the left of the main hall that leads to the kitchen are two more bedrooms. On the right is the main lounge, which has a working open fireplace, original wooden bookcases and beamed ceilings with plaster panels.
This room can be shut off to be a cosy, separate snug or have its doors open to the kitchen.
Melanie had planned to keep living here for some years but has recently bought a property in Matakana with her new partner.
