Kingsland do-up: Serial renovator transforms a wrecked villa to a winner

With invention in his blood, the owner transformed this home into a beautiful swan, writes DARIA KUPRIENKO

Avilla in Auckland was transformed from a wreck to a winner by serial renovators with invention running in their blood.

Owners Sam and Katie Britten picked up a fourth renovation in 2018 when they purchased a wrecked villa for $1.362 million in Kingsland.

Sam is the son of John Britten, a New Zealand mechanic who designed a world-record-setting motorcycle.

Ray White agent Cheryl Paine, who is listing the property, said restoration and renovation ran in the owner’s blood and that’s why he restored it himself.

Paine said about 50 groups went through for the first weekend of open homes. The 136sqm, four-bedroom villa will be auctioned on July 21.

Britten said, “I knew the bones were really good but it looked terrible with yellow paint and walls falling off.

“I was working on it nonstop for three years with substantial amount of money and extraordinary amount of time into it.”

The family was living in the 1900s villa while restoring it which included flooring, plumbing, gas, insulation and making the bathroom, kitchen and laundry functional.

Britten, who has three children, said he made sure the property was child-friendly and had a large backyard with a veggie garden and fruit trees on the 607sqm site.

Britten also renovated a sleepout, which was used as a shed but is now a two-bedroom sleepout with a lounge and can be used as an office, a guesthouse or rented for extra income.

The original plan was to restore the New Bond Street doup and make it a forever home, but the owners’ circumstances have changed. Britten is now looking for a new project but says he can’t find anything with the same potential.

“I find it really hard to look for anything else. It’s a shame I can’t hold on to it as there's so much good in it. I absolutely loved living there, being next to the bakery, near a gas station and Kingsland is quite an amazing spot,” he added.

A lot of homes on New Bond Street are now being renovated with work soon starting on the do-up next door.

The median property value in Kingsland is $1.73m, compared to Auckland’s median value of $1.114m, according to OneRoof’s data partner Valocity.

“I knew the bones were really good but it looked terrible with yellow paint and walls falling off.”

After: Renovation on the Kingsland villa took three years to complete and a substantial amount of money and time. Photos / Supplied

Before: The villa had a terrible yellow paint (top) and the walls were falling off. Photos / Supplied