Before and after: A crisp white kitchen now gives the home an upmarket feel.
Before and after: A crisp white kitchen now gives the home an upmarket feel.
When serial house renovator Deanna Hinde began a major refurb of her Hamilton East rental property in July last year, she never imagined one of her most-used tools would come from the pantry.
It turns out tomato sauce is the best way to clean brass window latches.
“Theywere so old they were almost black,” Hinde recalled.
“I researched the best way to restore them, and got three options: tomato sauce, baking soda and vinegar or a product from the hardware store.
“When I experimented, an hour-long soak in tomato sauce followed by a scrub was the winner.”
The busy mum of four and her family had recently exchanged country living in Gordonton for beach life in Tauranga when she decided the 104sq m three-bedroom bungalow she’d bought as an investment in 2015 needed a refresh.
“It’s one of the original homes in the area, dating back to the 1950s,” she said.
“It had been a rental for many years and was looking very tired.
“I felt that it was time for a complete redo with the intention of selling.”
Character feature
Before and after: Removing a drafty fireplace made the lounge a warm family space.
Hinde set a strict budget and six-week timeframe to paint the interior and exterior, to ensure it was compliant with healthy homes guidelines, and give the home a fresh look and feel.
“The amount of light that floods through lent itself beautifully to the Hamptons-inspired style we chose,” she said.
“The colour blue in the bedroom started the vibe and continued that through into the laundry with the rest of the house - white, crisp and simple.
“I wanted it to feel serene.”
Character features of the house were revived, with brass handles getting the tomato sauce treatment and the stunning leadlight window in the master bedroom restored.
“It cost less than a thousand dollars to add panels, paint and put in new lighting to make that room a really special personal space.”
But it wasn’t just aesthetics; draughts were reduced with repairs to window frames and the fireplace in the lounge being blocked up.
“It was a controversial decision, but the state of the fireplace was too poor to resurrect,” Hinde said.
“It didn’t have nice tiles or any character about it, and had been repurposed a lot of times, with a gas heater inlaid.
“Sometimes you have to make a tough call on what will retain warmth in a home, and that old fireplace let a lot of breeze inside.
“You might as well have had the windows open.
“It just wasn’t sustainable.”
Shining light
Minimal changes transformed the tired master bedroom into a serene sanctuary.
On the outside, a new front boundary fence and concrete path created clean lines and a defined space to ensure the property is safe for kids and family pets.
While Hinde agreed with the popular advice that “kitchens sell homes”, her focus is always on where the light shines.
“Your home is your sanctuary, and we normally hang out most where the sunshine is, so you should invest in that space,” she said.
“In this house, the lounge has a concertina window that can be opened, to give a lovely sense of space.
“We don’t build windows like that any more.”
Quality wood and carpet flooring, a crisp, white kitchen and linen drapes now give the home an upmarket feel for a young family.
The bungalow renovation was Deanna’s eighth and led to her new business venture called Life’s Next Stage, which supports people downsizing to retirement living by decluttering as well as maximising the value of the home they’re leaving.
“I’ve always felt that you’re a guardian to bricks and mortar, and to be a good guardian, you look after it.
