BEST-KEPT SECRET ON TV
This two-storey home may have been renovated for a TV show — but it still remains one of Glendowie’s best-kept secrets.
Tucked away at the end of a long driveway, it offers an expansive outlook over Roberta reserve to the Tamaki Strait and Bucklands Beach.
Owner Geoff was wowed when he first stepped foot on the property. And he wasn’t daunted by the fact that the 1960s’ brick and tile dwelling had seen better days.
The transformation featured on TV3 show The Ultimate Reno.
Geoff reckons around 98 per cent of the home was rebuilt. “It was a bigger job than I anticipated,” says Geoff. “But it was worth it — it is a very solid house.”
One of the challenges was brightening up the interior and its rabbit warren of rooms.
Geoff hired Architects Pacific to give it a strong beachy feel.
“In all of the bedrooms you can wake up to a view of the sea without having to lift your head off the pillow,” says Geoff.
Upstairs, walls were removed to open up the living, dining and kitchen into one large area.
Original rimu floors were blonded, and the ceiling was opened up and wooden beams added.
Large glass stacker doors were installed in the living room to make the most of the view. A tiny deck was extended and a second deck — with an electric pergola — added.
The designer kitchen has all the bells and whistles, including two ovens. There’s also , a separate butler’s pantry with a wine fridge and another dishwasher.
Also on this upper level is a powder room and a bedroom with a walk-through wardrobe and en suite bathroom.
Downstairs, once an uninhabitable space, now has a second lounge or media room, two bedrooms with en suites, an office, and covered patio..
Agent Alison Jackson-Me of Unlimited Potential says the home has to be seen to be believed. “From the roadside you would never know it is there, and once you get inside you can see the quality of the build and just how wide the views are. It is a unique home in a great spot.” Auction: November 19 Contact: Alison Jackson-Mee, UP, 021 410 101
”You can wake up to a view of the sea without having to lift your head off the pillow.”