Serial renovators Annie and Peter Loveridge have revamped eight of the 10 homes they've owned in four different countries. Their first project was a single-bedroom basement flat in London, which helped them to identify their strengths and limitations.
"We're neither patient nor skilled enough to undertake any work ourselves, so we've always employed professional tradespeople to achieve a perfect finish," says Annie. "Peter is fantastic with layout and spatial issues, and I'm the decorator."
The couple bought their current home - a character villa in Auckland's Herne Bay - in 2011 after spending quite some time finding the right house. It had all the right attributes, something that ordinarily isn't a major factor for the couple.
"We're usually a lot more spontaneous and go by the feel of the home. However, this was the first house that gave us everything we were looking for and hadn't been stripped of its character and charm," says Annie. "We really loved the wide hallway that looks out to the flat rear garden, and the fact that the original fittings were all still intact."