Westmere: Added value

12 Westmere Crescent, Westmere.

Galia BarHava-Monteith had never heard of Westmere when she and husband Andrew Monteith began hunting for their first home.

"When we were looking for a house we parked the car in Grey Lynn and started walking down towards the sea," says Galia, who is originally from Israel. "As we went, the streets got wider and the properties got bigger and there were kids playing in the street."

Galia met Andrew at a backpackers lodge in Queenstown in 1992 while on her OE after she had finished her military service (a requirement for most young people in Israel, including women). They bought the ex-state house in Westmere Crescent in 1999.

"I guess it was a do-up when we bought it, but it was a tidy do-up," Galia says. "The kitchen was quite pokey but when I walked in here I thought 'I can make this a good kitchen'. I fell in love with the house but my husband needed more convincing."

Apart from stripping wallpaper upon wallpaper upon wallpaper and lining and plastering the walls throughout the house, the couple focused most of their attention on renovating the kitchen and bathroom and adding a deck at the rear.

Galia says that work, including squaring off the exterior wall to enlarge the kitchen, cost between $35,000 and $40,000. The changes to the kitchen and dining area have transformed what was a quintessential state house kitchen into a much more user-friendly room with modern appliances and more storage and bench space. It also has a colour scheme that can't be ignored.

"We both love purple and we thought, 'Let's be brave and not go for cream or white'," Galia says.

The update has produced a tidy little family home with polished floorboards throughout. Galia says all the rooms in the house receive sun, including the living room at the front of the house that has an open fireplace.

From the elevated deck with views across the neighbourhood, you descend to the back yard that Galia says is a perfect play area for their children - Tal, aged 3, and Ella, 15 months - while she gets some gardening done.

Galia, who used to work as ethics manager for Fonterra, has started a corporate values consultancy business that she runs from home.

"When we bought this place we had visions of extending down and of going up and making this a three-storey house," Galia says.

"But with the kids and doing my consulting work I just couldn't manage it. We absolutely adore this house but I just don't have it in me to oversee that sort of project."

Galia's tips for renovating: Buy quality fittings and don't cut corners. Shop around for the style you like; you'll always get it cheap somewhere. Bring your thoughts and style to a project, but use an expert to realise them. Be realistic about how much time and money renovations will take.

Vital Statistics

Bedrooms: 3

Bathroom: 1

Garage: 1

SIZE: Land 594sq m, home 100sq m.

PRICE: Interest expected above $550,000. Auction October 27 (unless sold prior).

INSPECT: Sat/Sun 1-1.45pm.

CONTACT: Angela Ryan, Unlimited Potential, ph 361 6481 bus, 021 636 444 mob, or David Simons ph 361 6485 bus, 021 2777 579 mob.

FEATURES: Affordable ex-state home in a top location. Well renovated with designer kitchen and scope for future improvements and capital gain. Sunny living area and a huge back yard.