CONTACT:
Alexander Babukhin, Ray White, ph 021 956 473 or 520 9100.
Hamish Anderson figures that if you are going to do something, you should do it right. His mate, architect Kit Lowe, is of the same mind.
So when the pair joined forces to renovate the house Hamish shares with his wife Rachael and their two young sons, the end result was an immaculate home where careful attention has been paid to even the tiniest of details, and only top-of-the range materials, fittings and appliances used.
From the Villeroy & Boch sinks in the bathrooms and the double Gaggenau oven in the Poggenpohl kitchen, to underfloor heating in the spacious laundry and power points in the garden for the hedge trimmers, they've thought of everything.
Hamish, whose background is in civil engineering, and Rachael lived in the 1910 Parnell villa for five years before embarking on the makeover, which was completed two years ago. By the time they sat down to talk concepts with longtime friend Kit, of Auckland firm Waterfall Gunns Lowe Architects, they had very clear ideas about what they wanted.
Kit, who'd renovated his very similar home nearby, immediately understood what they wanted, but it still took a long time before work was ready to begin.
"We spent 18 months musing through all the different options and going through the planning process because it was a big job," says Hamish. "Pretty much every room was touched. But I thought if we are going to this effort to do it, I wanted it to be done properly."
Kit used his expertise to retain the classic character of the bay villa while enhancing it with all the features needed for contemporary living. When it came to convincing the council to give consent for some of the alterations he planned, he even went as far as making a cardboard model of the house to show officials how it would look.
One of the biggest changes was digging out under the house and turning the single garage into a double. It took a while to get permission but Hamish says he's glad they persevered because, as well as room to park two cars side by side, there is also plenty of storage space.
Kit's plans also allowed for a new bedroom with en suite downstairs. The family's au pair uses it but it could also make a good guest suite or teenage retreat.
On the main level, the house has been transformed. The open-plan living area along the south side of the house has been turned into two spacious bedrooms and the master bedroom now has fitted wardrobes and an en suite accessed by a striking floor-to-ceiling opaque glass door.
Image 1 of 5: Fine details lift this bay villa out of the ordinary, notes Donna Fleming. Let's start with its perfect proportions ...
Like the en suite, the family bathroom has a roomy shower, plus a very deep bath.
Decorative corbels in the hall are a nod to the house's heritage, and the new white American oak floor in this part of the house is a nice, contemporary contrast that draws the eye to the new extension at the rear. A lean-to was knocked down and in its place is the stylish open-plan living/dining/kitchen.
Getting the proportions in this room right was very important to Kit. "Because the original part of the house has high 3m studs this room needed to be in keeping with the rest of it," he points out.
The skillion -- single-sloping -- roof allows this height while paying homage to the lean-to that was originally there. It also adds drama and provides plenty of light through high side windows.
The kitchen combines textured splashback tiles with a wall of sleek cupboards that include a cleverly concealed desk/office.
"The kids can sit there and do homework or be on the computer and then you can close the doors and you don't even know it is there," says Hamish.
Sliding glass doors can easily be pushed aside to open the rear of the house to a patio and landscaped garden that is sunny, private and ideal for entertaining.
"There's a good connection with outdoors," says Kit. "The living area almost becomes a part of the garden when they are opened right up."
Although the garden is a good size for an inner-city home, the boys are starting to outgrow it.
"Although we did all the work on the house for ourselves, we did think about what the market might be looking for when the time came to sell, and hopefully this ticks a lot of boxes for people," says Hamish.
"We were very happy with it -- there is nothing we could change."
