SCHOOL ZONES:
Balmoral School, Epsom Girls’ Grammar, Mt Albert Grammar, Auckland Girls’ Grammar.
CONTACT:
Lisa-Maree Wallen, Ray White, 021 666 741.
AUCTION:
December 2 (unless sold prior).
*CARPORT FOR 2.
PHOTOS / MICHELLE HYSLOP
Her parents are serial renovators, so Libbia George wasn't fazed at the prospect of taking on a do-up in Mt Eden.
"I was pretty much brought up washing sawdust off my feet in a shower that had just been framed up," she says. "My husband Mylesdidn't have any of those skills but he has learned a lot from my dad."
Libbia says they were looking for a do-up as a way of getting into the area when they bought their Mt Pleasant Rd home more than seven years ago.
"We looked at a lot of houses but it was the only one of all of them that I told my husband that I wanted," she says. "I walked up the stairs here and I loved the big front porch and the nice outlook -- not many places have this."
From the front porch you can see across the rooftops of the surrounding homes and out to the Waitakeres. "With the afternoon sun coming in you can sit out here with a friend and a glass of wine and it's so nice."
The couple decided to build-in part of the wraparound veranda to create an en suite for the master bedroom. Libbia had an opening porthole window created for the end wall of the en suite with the same leadlight motif as other windows in the house.
Image 1 of 6: A large deck looking out to the Waitakeres is just one of the features to enjoy on a warm afternoon. Photos / Michelle Hyslop
"It was our way of being considerate to the house, to put something special in there," says Libbia. "I was obsessed with that window and you wouldn't believe the gear that went into making a round window open, not to mention the glasswork and the flashing."
The couple didn't spare any effort on the en suite either, which has basket-weave tiling on the floor, railway tiling and flamingo wallpaper on the walls and a specially made vanity with vintage tapware. The main bathroom has the same elegant features but a painted rather than papered wall.
That attention to detail is evident throughout the bungalow, which has been rewired, replumbed and reroofed, and now has heat pumps, a heat transfer system and a fire. They also restored the original ceilings, which had been covered up with lowered ceilings, and introduced a modern colour palette.
"Whoever moves in here won't have to do anything," says Libbia.
The couple's two children share a bedroom at the front of the house and two more bedrooms are set up as a guest room and playroom, where built-in shelving is topped off with a sleeping platform accessed by a ladder.
Installing a skylight brightened the hallway, off which is a formal lounge and a family room/dining room/ kitchen space.
These living spaces wrap around the rear, north-facing deck, which the formal lounge and dining room opening to. The family room, dining room and kitchen space have dark-stained timber floors and offer plenty of relaxed living and different zones for all the family to hang out. Laminated glass doors close this space off from the rest of the house to contain any noise.
The updated monochromatic kitchen has a large breakfast bar and sliding windows over the sink that open to the rear of the house.
"When we moved in, the kitchen looked like a Swedish sauna," says Libbia. "It had gold coloured floors and gold coloured cupboards."
Libbia says they are moving to Mt Albert to take on another project.
