LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION
Clever renovation brought out the sparkle in this Westmere home, writes
When the owners of this property were first shopping for a house 10 years ago, they braced themselves for renovations that were not to their tastes and imagined Westmere would be too pricey.
Then an agent got Warner Music marketer Lisa and film and TV cameraman David through this property before it opened for viewing.
Lisa says: “Looking out the kitchen window over the backyard with all the green, the elevation and the sense of space, I thought how amazing this place felt for such an urban spot.”
The ex-state house, a weatherboard duplex, had only one bedroom — but there was plenty of potential under its concrete tile roof.
Lisa says: “David’s dad is a builder and he looked at it for us before we bought and said, ‘You can’t go wrong with an ex-state house; it’s so solidly built.’”
Previous owners had already done considerable renovation, fortunately not making the mistake of being too miserly in improving a modest home.
Lisa says: “Often we’d looked at properties with renovations and felt we’d be paying for other people’s tastes that didn’t match ours.
“But here they’d already done the kitchen, which we loved, and the bathroom and the terraced decks out the back, which are a big part of living here.”
UP agent Jennifer Temm Munns says: “This home not only gives you a desirable address but also vibrant, private, peace of mind living, overlooking Lemington Reserve.”
Number 36A Westmere Cres, Westmere, is roughly five minutes’ walk to Westmere’s cafes and shops and is priced at $1,325,000.
The couple had their two daughters here, and Lisa’s loved being only seven minutes’ drive to her Ponsonby workplace. “That gives you really precious extra time when you’ve got a young family.”
The front door opens to polished native timber floors inside.
The front lounge enjoys the instant heat of a Jetmaster gas fire. The front bedroom Eva, 7, and Audrey, 5, have shared could equally be the master.
Neighbouring a dining area, the renovated kitchen, with its rear outlook, is stylish with stainless benches, coppery mosaic accents and ply cabinetry.
Lisa says: “I think the people before us were a bit ahead of their time when they did it.”
Those owners also created the luxurious bathroom, with its dual shower heads, mirrored glass under-bench and storageconcealing mirrors. A hallway laundry and roomy under-stair storage complete this level.
Lisa says the rear deck off the dining area serves as additional living most of the year.
The sizeable upstairs bedroom created by adding stairs and utilising loft space offers a real sense of retreat with elevated western views.
Two automated skylights ensure light dances across its polished timber floors, recycled from an old town hall. It has banks of storage concealed behind walls.
Lisa says: “We thought it’d be a neat space for the girls’ bedroom but when it was finished we liked it so much we slept up here ourselves.”
Three deck levels step down to a water feature and back lawn with a ficus-covered shed. They’ve loved their secret rear gate on to Lemington Reserve’s coastal walkway.
The family bought another home and rented out this property, thinking they might one day return.
Says Lisa: “Our girls, who loved living here, were quite determined they’d live back here one day.
“And David and I imagined happily living here again when they’re, say, at university, but we finally decided to simplify things and sell.”