Turning Challenging into Charming!

Meet the Camerons! John & Sue have a lifelong love of Character homes. From performing arts backgrounds, they love the dramatic look and feel of the homes, the intriguing stories that come with them, the treasures you find when you re-do them as well as the je-ne-sais-quoi they bring to an area! We met this inspirational couple as they embarked on an investment (ad)venture. They had fallen in love with and purchased a property around the corner from their beloved character villa family home. But this project came with some challenges they weren't sure how to tackle. 

These included: A Heritage Zoned Site, An existing villa at the front of the property that needed 'love or a wrecking ball' and council couldn't agree which option to approve!, A subdivision to enable a second dwelling to be built at the back of the property that met the Special Character Heritage Zoning Requirements, A steep, narrow site at the back of the property, Limited access available for the site due to the slope of the site & the street. Additionally, the clients were working overseas 50% of the time!

How We turned Challenging into Charming!:

1. We worked with a specialist Planner for Heritage Zoned areas – they worked through the red tape that comes with protecting specialist zones and ensuring we’re adding to the style of the area with any new building or remodelling.

2. Through Guidance of the Planner & Heritage Teams, a removal & replacement of the front home was agreed to and undertaken by transporting in a relocated villa, which was then renovated. 

3. A subdivision was applied for to enable a second dwelling to be built at the back of the property to be sold at a later date - We designed the home to pay homage to an old church that had once been on the street, taking specific note of its steep pitched roof, arched entry & high gable window.

4. The Home in the newly subdivided part of the property was designed to make the most of the platform available & accommodate the narrow section. It features a small footprint on the ground level - under 95m2 - although inside it feels HUGE!

5. We built up the ground levels that needed it, and formed retaining walls to create off street parking on a lower level, maximising useable space on the site

6. We managed the project from start to finish and used online tools to communicate & decision make - streamlining the process for the clients whether here in NZ or abroad. This included our project management software, video calling, online forms and LOTS of photos.