One of the aspects Lee Tempest likes most about her Manly home is that when you come up the entry stairs at dusk, you can see the Skytower twinkling, and a little peek of sea.
This would probably not have been the case before the extensive renovation she and her husband did when they bought the house seven years ago.
They'd just emigrated to New Zealand from the UK and moved to Whangaparaoa, renting a house not far from their present home.
"We loved the area and when we saw this place, which was close to where we were living, we thought it would be great," Lee says. "It was very private -- you couldn't see it from the road -- and there was this big section for the kids."
It was basically just an old, very tired bach that had had an extension added, but Lee and her husband knew they could renovate it and make it a brilliant home for family and guests. They added three extensions, keeping two builders busy for five months. The house was reclad and double-glazed, and new decks and balustrades built.
"The kids loved all that. They were sliding down the builders' tarpaulins and all sorts and we just thought, 'Hey, we're in New Zealand now, they can be a bit more adventurous'."
The house now boasts a master bedroom with en suite, three further double bedrooms and a family bathroom.
Image 1 of 5: A loving touch has turned a tired old bach into a loved oasis.
The open-plan kitchen and family room open to a north-east facing rear deck and fully fenced garden, and the dining area leads to the formal lounge. A separate sleepout has two rooms now used for storage, and there's more dry storage under the house for camping gear and garden tools.
Because the section is sloping at the front, entry to the house is via a short flight of stairs.
Compressed bamboo flooring adds a casual, contemporary look.
The kitchen was relatively new when they moved in and needed only new countertops, and Lee chose a pale sea-green for the walls, matching an elegant wallpaper behind the dining table.
"We bought most of the wallpapers from the UK, because you can get really good papers for only about 5 a roll," Lee says.
In the summer Lee's husband cooks outside on the barbecue almost every night, and in the winter months, Lee is the designated cook. Winter is also a good time to enjoy the formal lounge, which has a warm, chocolate coloured feature wall and classic furnishings.
Lee's method for developing the colour scheme was to start with beige walls and add to that over time. She brought home test pots and tried different colours, although she says: "I think when you live in a house you get a feel for what it needs."
This house needed chandeliers, and Lee bought one for the entranceway, one for the dining area and one for the formal lounge.
"I love chandeliers and good-quality light fittings. It's important to us to have a nice living environment and those things really add value. We like to keep everything to a high standard."
Sadly for Lee the chandeliers will stay behind, but she'll be taking with her the striking blue, green and orange fern mosaic on the exterior front wall of the house. She commissioned a friend to create it, and loves the way the orange pieces of glass catch and reflect the sun.
