Character, convenience, history in the city

Character captured a former Taranaki couple when they returned to the region 15 years ago. They had been living in character surroundings in Wellington and were keen to continue that back here in New Plymouth. ‘‘We owned an old bungalow in Wellington; we love character,’’ they say.

This home at 45 Cameron St gave them everything they wanted – rich character and the right address. ‘‘We loved the location. It was close to work for us; schools were close at Central, Highlands and Boys’ High; we could walk into town to restaurants or cafes, and to Womad and events at the park.’’

The house and its character made the decision to buy easy.

The two-storey home is presented in a classic combination of weatherboards, shingles and bricks. It also comes with a dash of city history: it was built about 1930 by respected city building firm Boon Bros for one of its owners, John Herbert Boon, known as Bert. His father Alf started Boon Bros and it continued under the secondgeneration ownership of Bert and his two siblings.

The Kete New Plymouth website records early information on the Cameron St property: ‘‘A permit was granted by the Borough Council to John H. Boon on 15 March 1929 for the construction of a house on Lot 12, Cameron Street – Boon Bros were the builders, and the estimated construction cost was £585.’’

The house was likely a complete start-to-finish Boon Bros project, with almost every essential skill available within the firm at the time, from draughting to plumbing and painting. The firm even had its own timber mills and joinery factory to source and process the best timber.

Today’s owners did not have that information when they bought here, but they recognised the quality of the home and its tenure here, and respected that in the integrity of the changes they made to accommodate a growing family. ‘‘An older home like this has a certain character, soul and homeliness. We decided to build on that, to rejuvenate the house but retain the feel.’’

In 2014, the family moved out for seven months when the major renovation project began. ‘‘There were not many rooms that were not touched.’’

The project gave the family about 25 per cent more space. The original lean-to kitchen area between the house and garage was removed and the house extended across the space to connect with the single-width, tandem garage, providing welcome internal access. In that extension, a new open kitchendining-family area was created at ground level, with a second staircase to the upper area of the extension where a second-floor living area and fourth bedroom were shaped to complement the existing three upstairs bedrooms and family bathroom.

The successful blend of old and new impresses on a tour through the house.

Formal approach is a set of steps up from the footpath, framed with a new section of fence in an otherwise hedged boundary to define the entry to the property and draw visitors in. The slight elevation above the road gives this property and its front lawn pleasing privacy.

Presentation of the house is eyecatching; it’s easy to imagine its owner-builders crafting it as a showpiece of their skills and resources.

Walls are white weatherboard, accented with the earthy colour of chipped bricks stacked in pillars either side of the entry porch and in the adjacent chimney that rises the full two storeys. Black-painted shingles clad the room projecting over the porch and the gable ends of the upper storey. A new black Colorsteel roof and guttering was put on earlier this year.

Inside, the quality continues. Foyer floorboards are exposed and polished, and flow through each of the downstairs rooms. There’s a wealth of timber in the staircase, interior doors, picture rails, architraves and skirtings. White plaster ceilings feature textured surfaces between battens and boxed beams.

The formal lounge is left of the foyer. In here, a cast-iron Fisher woodburner insert in the original fireplace adds atmosphere to complement the efficiency of the radiator system installed throughout the house. A bookcase wall lets book bindings add their colour to the white decor.

A door at the front of the lounge leads into a light-filled sunroom, where you can look over the cityscape to the greenclad slopes of Churchill Heights. ‘‘This was great to use as an office during Covid lockdowns.’’

Behind the lounge, through a pair of wide-opening cavitysliding doors is the original formal dining room, with French doors that open equally wide to a spacious deck recently relaid with new decking boards. At the same time, a timber seat was crafted around the trunk of the cherry tree that previous owners retained as a feature rising out of the deck. Today’s owners enjoy the summer shade it offers, and the opportunity to add Christmas lighting in season.

The deck looks out into the surrounding trees and the terraced gardens below. The trees include maple, sycamore, plane tree and oak, which screen neighbouring homes in the valley properties below. Naturally, bird-life is prolific and includes kereru and tui, and even the occasional colourful lorikeets.

‘‘The kids loved going down there over the years, playing