Parents milling around on pick-up duty on the Garnet Road side of Westmere School often admire the standout street appeal of a villa and its heritage-style garage exuding fairy-tale charm.
It’s been passionately restored and preserved over 28 years by Angie, sales manager at Ecostore, and Richard, an A-grade mechanic, who raised their now-grown son there.
Angie says: “We bought this 1919 Victorian single-bay villa in 1997 as a deceased estate. We’ve always had a thing for old houses. They just have a soul and ooze comfort and loveliness.”
The 536sqm section offered potential and the purchase fitted their budget, with Westmere less highly-sought back then.
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“We wanted to take that little villa and bring her back to her former glory.”
They favoured authenticity rather than a “gut everything and make the interior completely modern” approach.
The high-stud villa had two bedrooms when they bought and no garaging. According to OneRoof data, the sale price in 1998 was $260,000. The current 2021 RV is $2.625 million.
“It had the pokiest, most horrible kitchen you could think of, about one metre to 1.5 metres wide and dark, being on the southern side.”
The 1919 Victorian villa has a 186sqm floor plan with four bedrooms, two bathrooms and a double garage on a 536sqm section. Photo / Supplied
The country-style kitchen-dining area with timber-lined walls is warmed by a potbelly and has a Rangemaster stove and cabinetry made from salvaged kauri flooring beams from an old Ponsonby warehouse. Photo / Supplied
They did a rear extension, and went up, creating a bedroom-style loft.
“Because we were so careful about how we did it, you wouldn’t know where the old part of the house finishes and the new part starts. The one clue is in the floorboards, which run east-west in the original part and north-south in the extension.
“We got knives made to the exact profile of the existing architraves and skirtings and had them run in Fijian kauri to use in the extension.”
Re-gibbing rooms freed up original kauri planks from within walls which were refined into hallway wainscoting (lower wall panelling). The kauri flooring in the extension and loft was salvaged from an old hall in Whangarei. The French doors from the kitchen to the deck came from a convent.
“You feel like every little piece of this house has its own backstory.”
The front double garage was meticulously designed by Richard to match the gable design of the villa, its bespoke garage tilter doors based on a historic villa door design. The villa exterior is painted in heritage colours. A porch adorned with fretwork introduces the front door with original coloured glass surround.
Three bedrooms, (one ensuited, created from former kitchen-dining space), a bathroom and laundry run down the left-hand-side of the layout. On the right, a fourth bedroom precedes a generous living room with operational character fireplace.
The villa exterior is painted in heritage colours and the front double garage was meticulously designed by one of the homeowners to match the gable design of the villa. Photo / Supplied
The homeowners favoured authenticity when restoring the villa rather than a “gut everything and make the interior completely modern” approach. Photo / Supplied
Then a country-style kitchen-dining area with timber-lined walls opens to the deck. It is warmed by a potbelly and has a Rangemaster stove and cabinetry made from salvaged kauri flooring beams from an old Ponsonby warehouse.
“It’s my favourite place because I love cooking and we’ve had so many dinner parties here. The neighbouring timber-lined bedroom is currently used an office. The kitchen and deck look out at greenery rather than houses, which is so restful.”
The loft with angled ceilings and views, including into the city, could suit working from home or a teen retreat.
The backyard could fit a swimming pool if desired. Its plentiful menagerie of organically-maintained fruit trees are watered from the 16,000 litre rainwater retention tank under the deck. There’s also under-house storage.
They’ve appreciated Westmere’s cafes, shops, schooling, parks and proximity to Grey Lynn and the CBD but are ready to downsize.
Ray White agent Ben Ryken says: “So much care, work and restoration has gone into the preservation of this special heritage home. It’s unique, with all the pieces coming together to form a perfect jigsaw puzzle.”
- 42 Garnet Road in Westmere, Auckland, is for sale by auction, April 30
