Pt Chevalier Bungalow transformed
Couple knew from day one how they wanted to transform modest bungalow, writes Sandra Goodwin
When the Websters bought a largely original bungalow with a modern in-ground swimming pool in the back yard, the auctioneer said it was the first property he’d seen renovated from the back fence forwards. But Jamahl and Hannah Webster weren’t concerned about the modest 90sq m 1930s home, instead focusing on how they could transform it.
Banker Jamahl says: “Hannah and I are both interested in design, although my focus tends to be on external architecture and hers on interiors.
“We moved to Auckland from Wellington where we’d renovated a house and also built a new home.”
They owned a two-storey Pt Chevalier home with upstairs living before buying this in 2014.
Hannah says: “I wanted a layout which would allow us to see the children wherever they were in the backyard, so when we found the little bungalow we could see the potential.”
Visitors are often surprised by what they can see as soon as the Websters open the front door. The house has been transformed with striking rear pavilion-style open-plan living under lofty ceilings.
Jamahl says: “We had quite clear ideas about what we wanted with these high ceilings, the gables and this light and spacious feeling.
I was never a cook, but I love being in this kitchen.
“We drew this layout up on a pad and gave it to the architect. He came back with 10 or 15 variations and we said, ‘cool, now let’s go back to the original’.
“When you open up these bifolds on both sides they stack back to one panel, so you almost feel like you’re under an outdoor awning or pavilion, like in Fiji or Bali.”
Hannah says direct flow to the private backyard makes it easy to keep an eye on seven-year-old Kyah, three-year-old Max and their pomeranian dog, Bear.
The bungalow has been re-piled. There’s new gib, plumbing and electrical, new Scandinavian oak floors, ducted heating and cooling throughout.
A smart fence now fronts the property with a gate securing double off-street parking and existing resource consent to add a garage.
The master bedroom with double shower en suite gets its own walk-in-wardrobe. Of the three other bedrooms, one has pull-down stairs to attic storage.
The family bathroom has a freestanding bath and separate laundry with plenty of storage. There’s an overhead drying rack Hannah finds invaluable.
The floor-level steps down to the extension, swelling already generous stud heights to ones which reach to 3.9 metres in the solar-efficient, open-plan rear of the home.
Jamahl says: “There is a huge amount of steel right through this extension. The steel company asked if we wanted to land a plane on the roof, but all that steel was important because it allowed us to create a totally clean look with no cross braces.” The open-plan rear houses two living areas and dining.
Hannah says: “I was never a cook but I love being in this kitchen.” It has a long marble splashback, an extra-wide oven and a black double sink within stone benches.
Off the deck and on the rear lawn is the heated pool kept clean without chlorine.
The couple say there’s not a thing they would have done differently. Now they intend to turn their hands to a new build in this suburb they love.