SCHOOL ZONES:
Freemans Bay Primary, Ponsonby Intermediate, Western Springs College, Auckland Girls’ Grammar.
CONTACT:
Carla Pedersen, Ray White, 021 417 139.
AUCTION:
January 28.
If walls could talk, Penny Barnett's inner city home would have some fascinating tales to tell.
The house started life as a miner's cottage in the Coromandel in the 1860s before being transported on a barge to Auckland in the 1880s. It was located in Freemans Bay when it was still an actual bay, and apart from a little bit of modernisation, sat pretty much unchanged for more than a century.
By the time Penny, who is the property's third owner, bought it in 2006, the house was crying out to be renovated. It was a challenge the former interior designer tackled with relish.
"To me the important thing was keeping the character," she says. "It has so much history it would have been a real shame to modernise it too much."
She has successfully blended the old with the new, creating a home that is still true to a bygone era, but also suited to 21st century living.
Some parts of the house have changed very little from when it was built all those generations ago. The two bedrooms at the front are much the same as they would have been in the 1880s, with the addition of storage.
However, Penny did rearrange the rest of the house, knocking down walls to move a bathroom from the back to the centre so there was space to enlarge the tiny kitchen.
The relocated bathroom was given a major makeover, and now looks like it belongs in a luxury boutique hotel, thanks to the stunning tiles, gold tapware and leadlight window. The black embossed tiles were imported from Italy, and the accent tiles feature gold leaf.
"I wanted something that was a bit special, but still in keeping with the house," says Penny.
She had the same goal in mind when she planned the kitchen renovation. The white cabinetry with black accents is classic colonial style with a contemporary touch, with the leadlight glass in some of the cupboard doors matching that found in windows in the house.
A window seat at one end of the kitchen provides storage and a lovely place to sit and read recipes or for guests to watch the cook at work.
Extra little touches include real crystal chandeliers in the living area and recycled floorboards in the kitchen extension that look perfect alongside the original floor. The lounge features French doors out to a small courtyard.
Image 1 of 5: 151214 Herald Homes. 14 Costley St Freemans Bay home of Penny Twiss. Photo: Fiona Goodall/Getty Images
Penny saw a great opportunity to gain more space by further excavating the existing basement area. This has created a third bedroom, which has an en suite decorated in the same style as the upstairs bathroom. This room has internal access to the single garage -- a rarity in Freemans Bay -- as well as its own entrance.
"It could be used as an office for working from home, and if you have visitors, they wouldn't need to walk through the whole house to come and see you," says Penny.
The outdoor area is one of the reasons Penny was so drawn to the house. She'd previously lived on a lifestyle block and was keen to have some green space, although she knew the chance of finding much in the city centre was slim.
She was thrilled to find the cottage had a garden. It has been terraced and expansively landscaped so that it now has a gazebo that's perfect for al-fresco dining, and a huge selection of plants, such as delphinium, foxgloves, sweetpeas, roses and hydrangeas.
There are also lot of fruit trees, including grapefruit, apple, plum, feijoa and guava, and a shed that has been rewired and makes a great office. "It's so peaceful being in the garden," says Penny. "All you can hear are the birds, yet you're so close to College Hill. It's like an oasis in the city."
Located midway between Ponsonby Rd and Victoria Park Market, it's an easy stroll to restaurants, cafes, bars and shops, including those at Wynyard Quarter.
Transforming the cottage feels as if it was a journey, says Penny, who is selling because it's time for a lifestyle change. "I've really loved it -- I really put my heart and soul into it."
