Two years later they extended the home, with a Cameron Pollock-designed "box" slotted into the rear of the house to create an open-plan living, dining and kitchen area connecting to the north-facing backyard.
At the time of the renovation, Michelle was expecting their first child and despite the builder's promises that they would be in the home well before Ethan was born, she was directing operations while heavily pregnant and when Phil was working overseas.
"We literally moved in the week before Ethan was born," says Phil.
From the street, the home has a traditional look and that is carried through to the layout of the front rooms, with bedrooms either side of the hallway - one with a fireplace and French doors opening out to a terrace. Down the hallway is another bedroom and then a bathroom that has been remodelled using art director Michelle's skills. Glass-reinforced concrete has been used to house a resurfaced enamel bathtub and to make a benchtop that sits on a custom-made stainless steel vanity.
A door conceals stairs going down to the garage tucked under the house. What used to be an unlined space backed by dirt has been converted into a clean, dry storage area with a sealed floor that accommodates all manner of family paraphernalia.
"Phil did quite a lot of work lining it and putting in shelving," says Michelle.
Rimu floors continue from the original to the new part of the home so that there is a seamless flow from the lounge through to the kitchen and dining area.
Designed by Rotherham Interiors, the kitchen has a breakfast bar, stainless-steel benchtops and handle-less cabinetry. Glass sliders open to the east and to the north with decking and paving wrapping around the house to create outdoor areas bordered with succulents and palms.
From here the lawn slopes up and in the top corner of the section sits a converted shipping container that Phil uses as his office.
He needed the space for his work as production designer on Elysium, the movie by Neill Blomkamp, who directed the critically acclaimed sci-fi movie, District 9, a project that Phil also worked on.
Phil says the container, which has a glazed wall facing the house and bifolds out to the lawn, was converted to his specifications in five weeks and craned into place over the fence.
"It's fully lined, insulated and wired up," he says.
The sleek-looking studio, though, is a result of the fact that the family has run out of space at its present home, especially after the arrival of twins Emerson and Ryder, now aged 5.
"With three boys now, we've simply outgrown it," says Michelle.
But because they like the neighbourhood and the boys' nearby school, the couple has bought the next-door property. "We love the size of this section and its aspect, and next door is the same so we know what we are in for," says Phil.
Except this time, as Michelle points out, they also know the needs of their family now and into the future so they will be demolishing the existing house and building new.
