Art deco darling - Three Kings

Two couples saw the potential in these neglected art deco treasures, and set about a major renovation for each.

439a Mt Albert Rd, Three Kings.

Gary Jenkins wanted to buy a house in New Zealand unlike anything he could get in his home country of Ireland.

``You can't get art deco in Ireland, and when I saw this place it looked like a little castle - I loved the turrets,'' says Gary.

So did his New Zealand partner, Simon D'Arcy. And that was despite the state the house was in. While everyone at the open home was turning around and muttering, ``I don't think so'', Gary and Simon looked around and thought the opposite.

The carpet was ugly, the walls were peach, all the rooms were in the wrong places, and it had been a student flat for years.

``But we could see it had good bones, and liked the challenge of turning it into something like this,'' says Simon.

The bones and the outer shell were all that remained after the pair gutted the interior six months later.

For the next six months, through a freezing winter, they and their dog made do with one room and a few sticks of furniture.

``I left you once, and you left me once, luckily it wasn't in the same week,'' says Gary, able to laugh about it now.

What they ended up with was worth the renovation squabbles, largely thanks to a builder, plumber and electrician who they say worked very well as a team.

As you enter the front door you pass two sunny bedrooms on your left and right, which share the main bathroom.

The open plan kitchen, dining and living area fill the middle of the house - the kitchen has a view of Mt Roskill to the south, and two sets of French doors open the living and dining space to the north-facing deck and garden.

On the east side of the house is the master bedroom, with a cleverly designed en suite. It functions as a wet room, drying quickly thanks to a floated vanity and underfloor heating.

Although the entire interior of the house is new, and flows like a modern home, Gary and Simon were careful that it looked in keeping with its art deco exterior.

Square scotias, skirting boards, architraves and wooden doors with recessed panels help achieve this. The matai floors have been polished so they glow.

Down the back steps you enter the back of the garage, which Simon converted into a commercial kitchen for his catering business. He will be taking all his equipment with him and this space could be turned back into a garage, or kept for use as a studio or home office.

Simon and Gary had plans to put a floating deck over a concrete area at the back of the house, which would capture afternoon sun, but will leave this for the property's next owner.

The front garden slopes down from the road and is shielded by a high fence. This provides privacy, reduces traffic noise, and a row of fast-growing akeake trees will soon cover the fence in their reddish-brown foliage.

The house was built in 1944, one of the first in the area when, according to a neighbour, there was cow-filled farmland over the back fence.

Gary and Simon are selling partly to fund a new country dream. They have bought the disused Waikowhai School west of Huntly which they plan to convert into a home to retire to one day.

They will bid a fond farewell to this house, the warmth of which Gary describes as ``luxury'' after their winter of renovation.

VITAL STATISTICS

BEDROOMS: 3

BATHROOMS: 2

GARAGES: Currently converted into workspace. could be converted back.

SIZE: Land 409sq m, house 138sq m.

PRICE INDICATION: Interest expected above $400,000. Auction August 30.

INSPECT: Sat/Sun 2.30-3.15pm, Wed 5-5.45pm.

ON THE WEB: www.bayleys.co.nz # 350323

CONTACT: Pauline Lancaster, Bayleys, ph 0274 587 245, 522 6874 a/h, 631 1888 bus.

FEATURES: 1944 home with a brand new interior in keeping with its art deco style, but with a flowing modern design. Close to Mt Roskill Grammar, Three Kings shopping centre, and 15 minutes from the CBD.