An inner-city transformation
19 Halesowen Ave, Sandringham
Sitting on 613 square metres of flat land in the heart of Sandringham, this 1950’s villa is the type of villa do-up that many Aucklanders dream about. In this case, it was lucky owners Hope McDonald and Caolann Fitzpatrick that had a vision to transform this property into a modern, inner city sanctuary.
The brief was to renovate the existing villa, incorporating a modern open and light living area, spacious bedrooms, an ensuite and large main bathroom, and additional storage. An extension out towards the sunny backyard featured the new kitchen, a covered outdoor living area and deck. A standalone garage and a home office for Hope were also incorporated.
Our mission was to create a warm, modern abode, while keeping the charm and original character of a bygone era. Like many projects we undertake, this was essentially a complete rebuild and reconfiguration of the villa layout at the front of the house, with a brand-new space bursting into life out back.
Being heritage villa specialists, we know that original plans often have to be adapted as you take a heritage villa back to its bare bones. As was the case with 19 Halesowen Ave.
The two front rooms were meant to remain unaltered in the original design, but on closer inspection the interior walls were poorly constructed and unaligned, and the exposed ceiling beams were riddled with borer. Consequently, the ceiling and roof were not level and in need of repair. We recommended starting from scratch here, to ensure the walls, ceilings and roof were up to the current standards of construction. We were then able to replicate the original period features of the rooms, including the exposed ceiling beams, panelled doors and colonial style architraves.
The original design plan also proposed a very complex roof structure, retaining a section of the original undersized rafters, supplemented by timber and steel beams, as well as a section of trusses over the new extension, and a skillion roof covering the deck. We suggested a more streamlined roof design, which decreased the build duration and reduced the total costs by approximately $50k.
The onset of COVID lockdowns also had an impact, delaying the project by 6 weeks. It hit just as we were working on the kitchen, but rather than leave Hope and Caolann without a place to cook, we set-up a temporary kitchen that allowed them to function as per normal!
All in all, this project was a joy to work on and we are proud of the final product. And once again, we were able to put our heritage villa renovation skills to the test!
Watch our video of the completed property renovation
HOPE McDONALD
“We received quotes from a number of different builders. Pricewise, they were all in the same ballpark, but what set Matt apart was his calm, professional approach. And because he specialised in villa renovations, we had confidence in his experience.
Although we had a clear picture of what we wanted, Matt was also realistic about our expectations. I had my heart set on polished concrete floors, but as Matt correctly pointed out, it was too much risk on a raised villa. (Our matai floors look amazing however!)
When COVID stopped work on the site, Matt again went the extra mile. The roof was removed just before lockdown hit and Matt made regular visits (with bucket in hand) to check the tarp was watertight. They also rigged up a temporary kitchen which was a lifesaver.
We couldn’t be happier with the final result. Matt and his guys did an amazing job and were great to have on site. He also made the project stress-free. I’ve since recommended Matt to friends and family who have purchased property and would recommend him to anyone else.”