SCHOOL ZONES:
Bayfield Primary School, Ponsonby Intermediate, Western Springs High School, Auckland Girls Grammar School.
CONTACT:
Lisa and Steve Stone, Ray White, 631 1500 or 021 504 674 (Lisa) or 021 966 499 (Steve)
AUCTION:
July 13
It wasn't a job for the faint-hearted. The Herne Bay villa Richard Milne and a friend bought back in 1979, in what was then considered to be a "pretty rough" part of town, had been converted into a six-bedroom boarding house for single men and was in a bit ofa state, to put it mildly.
Converting it back to one dwelling and restoring it to its former glory was clearly going to be an enormous undertaking.
"But we were young and foolhardy, and we didn't really know what we were getting ourselves into," says Richard. "We had lots of energy back then."
That energy and youthful enthusiasm helped them to tackle what was a huge renovation job. As they began gutting the house, which was built in 1900, they discovered beautiful original features that had been covered up by previous owners, such as fireplaces, sash windows, high board-and-batten ceilings and french doors.
"The ceilings had been lowered, I suppose to conserve heat, and we found all sorts of wonderful things when we pulled them off," says Richard, who had never renovated a house before.
Being hardy blokes, they lived in the house throughout the extensive makeover. "For a while we had an open-air bath because there was no roof, just framing," recalls Richard.
Once the work was done, Richard bought his mate's share of the home and enjoyed living there, but planned on selling it after meeting Barbara Guy, who went on to become his wife.
Image 1 of 7: The man who rescued a dilapidated villa loved it so much he stayed for 37 years. Photos / Ted Baghurst
"This was my house, and we thought it would be nice to have a house that both of us had chosen," says Richard.
"But we just couldn't find anywhere in a better location. So we stayed."
The location has indeed been ideal. The house is near the end of a quiet no-exit street but it is just a short walk to the cafes, bars and shops of Jervois Rd, and a few minutes drive into the city centre.
The house, meanwhile, proved to be a wonderful family home for Richard, Barbara and their twins Nick and Sophie. The house has undergone a couple more renovations -- although none as drastic as the first.
In one, the back was reconfigured to create an open-plan living, dining and kitchen, with french doors from the dining and living rooms out on to the north-facing deck.
The sleek, modern kitchen was designed by an architect friend to be "ergonomically successful" and works very well, says Richard.
The couple wanted wooden floors in this area to match the kauri boards in the rest of the house and sourced recycled rimu from the demolished stands at Avondale Racecourse.
The garden is one of Richard's favourite parts of the property. It's sunny and sheltered, with lots of decking for entertaining. It features lots of established trees and is spectacular in spring.