Love at a distance
This vintage bungalow got a makeover while its owners were living overseas, writes, Deborah Telford
Having an architect for a flatmate proved handy for Celine and Pete Baber when they renovated their Sandringham home nine years after buying it in 2005. The couple lived in their 1920s bungalow with two flatmates for five years before moving to Perth in 2010 for work while the flatmates stayed on in the house.
“One of our flatmates was an architect, so he put a lot of thought into what we could do with the house,” says Celine. “He also put us on to the architect and project manager we used for the job.”
The Babers were living in Perth for most of the eight- month renovation, which was almost a rebuild. Celine made only one trip home to check building progress before they moved back into the house in 2014 with daughters Georgia, now five, and Scarlett, three. They now also have 14- month- old Hugo.
The property’s large, level section and sunny aspect appealed when they looked through it more than 11 years ago after taking a six- month break from house- hunting in other parts of Sandringham as well as Mt Roskill, Mt Albert and Onehunga.
“We’d almost given up on finding what we wanted in our price range.
“Everything we looked at had something major wrong with it or needed too much work, and we’re not DIY people.”
The bungalow, in Coyle St off Sandringham Rd, was small, but well- maintained, had a big back yard and felt homely.
The renovation checklist included retaining the bungalow feel, making the house warm in winter and also as child- friendly and eco- friendly as possible.
Using part of the front garden by building a double garage that connects to the house through the laundry was also a must.
The two- and- a- half bedroom, one- bathroom house has almost doubled in size and now has four bedrooms, two bathrooms and a 90sq m open plan lounge, kitchen and dining room.
This generous space includes ample storage cupboards and large sliding doors that open to a fully fenced, north- facing back garden ideal for young children.
Celine and Pete have converted the old A- framed single garage into a garden shed with native timber floorboards and panelled French doors retrieved from the back of the old house.
Inside, walnut floors in the main living area and all the radiators are solar water heated with gas back up, and all the new windows and glass doors are double glazed.
“The solar heating has been much more costeffective, more quickly, than we thought. We have very low electricity bills.”
Celine’s idea of creating a chef ’s garden has included planting citrus trees outside two bedroom windows.
“I have lovely childhood memories of being able to reach out the window and pick fruit so I wanted to recreate that here.”
Feijoa, peach, nectarine, apricot, avocado, plum and fig trees also thrive in the excellent soil, along with several passionfruit vines.
Celine says Sandringham is full of young families and has been a great community.
“The street is quiet, we can walk to the Sandringham shops and to St Lukes.
“The girls’ school and daycare are just up the road and we have lots of local parks.”
The family will be sad to leave the area but are returning to work in Perth.
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29 COYLE ST, SANDRINGHAM SIZE: PRICE GUIDE: INSPECT: AUCTION:
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