When is a garage with two doors not a double garage?
And when is a pitched roof dwelling behind the hedge at the back of the garden not a garden shed?
When Guy Thompson and Greer Clark have been busy renovating, that's when. When they bought here early in 2010 they wasted little time getting to work on house matters and they've done so with a subtle touch.
At first sight this is a beautifully renovated circa-1900 villa that has been given a helping hand into the 21st century while still retaining the elegant detail of its Victorian form.
But beyond the obvious, there are major changes Guy and Greer have made for them and their sons Jake (9) and Harry (6).
They demolished the old corrugated iron garden shed on the back boundary and built a 10sq m sleepout/home office on the same footprint.
From the house there is only a peep of the heritage zone-compliant pitch of the roof to indicate the business premises for their recruitment agency IT Job Search.
"That's our big commute," says Guy, looking out from the dining table.
There's far less need for two vehicles now and that is where the story of the two garage doors on the front boundary comes into the picture.
Guy and Greer divided the double garage in half to create a single garage and a separate man cave/media room, with access through Guy's "hobbit door".
It has been an invaluable second entertainment space a world away from the main living area of the house and the gardens that were landscaped when they arrived here.
This wider living/dining area is the only part of the house where Guy and Greer felt moved to undertake major refurbishments.
They retained original windows and doors, honouring the architectural detail of the villa, as the owners before them did during their whole-house upgrade.
22 Woodford Rd, Mt Eden. Photo / Chris Botha
Guy and Greer chose to incorporate a small square deck off the kitchen to create a designated living area, with recycled matai flooring that matches the original floors.
The bi-fold windows behind the dining table used to be above the kitchen bench on what was previously the exterior wall.
The French doors that connect the dining area to the main deck used to be the connection in off the old kitchen deck into the living area.
Lastly, Guy and Greer pushed out the deck beyond the main lounge doors and installed motorised louvres and outdoor heaters, as a year-round lifestyle bonus. "It's another room, it's more like a conservatory," says Greer.
Meanwhile, they refurbished their kitchen on the same footprint with an engineered concrete, rather than more common white stone bench.
Their cabinetry was designed around their favourite accessory - their slim-line, under-bench wine fridge.
For their splashback, they chose irregular, textured white brick tiles and black grout that adds a rather organic touch to the linear form of the galley kitchen.
There is still more personality evident in their choice of dramatic light fittings that hang above the original leadlight windows, skirting boards and architraves from the villa era.
In the previously renovated bathroom, it is the refurbished claw foot bath that is the heritage counter to the modern wall-hung vanity and ceramic tiles.
This private, elevated property has been a much-loved base for this young family.
Now they've decided to shift to a larger home with less lawn and garden that will see their boys through into their teenage years.
