HONESTY BOX

+ What would you never do again? Kimberley: Be so generous to our own detriment. We agreed to a short settlement to help the buyers of our Napier house, but when our move-in date fell through we were homeless for six weeks with a very sick dog. Thank goodness for our gorgeous friend Helen who opened her heart and home and took us all in.

+ What advice do you have for others renovating? Get professionals where it really counts and don’t ever begrudge paying them. We believe good tradies are worth their weight in gold. Have a generous spirit and they will happily come back.

+ What would you change about your home if you could? The exit to our beautiful back garden is through the bathroom. It can be awkward when visitors are staying.

+ What is your most memorable experience?

When the fire brigade came to our home three times in one day. We smelled burning and the fire alarms activated in the wee hours. By 6am the fire service arrived only to discover it was our fridge, which had burnt out completely. Unfortunately the alarm kept activating so the fire brigade had to visit twice more for no reason. We were very embarrassed but were told it’s better to be safe than sorry.