Life + Style - 10 September 2021

21 August, 2015

Papamoa home becomes tropical oasis. Page 6 Photo: John Borren.

life+style The Weekend Sun ˛

life+style The Weekend Sun 21 2015 2021 10August, September, After

After

The of old and new Sally Blockley and pup Oscar have become regular faces in The Weekend Sun’s MySpace features.

“You’ve always got to have a project on the go,” says Sally.

“It keeps things interesting.”

She completed her latest project earlier this year – a three-part renovation including the laundry, kitchen and dining room, all of which can be seen from the door that leads into her 1950s, art decostyle home in Greerton.

“I still walk through the door and appreciate how much better it is,” says Sally.

“It just looks awesome.”

Before

Heart of the home

Brightening up the kitchen was the first thing on Sally’s priority list.

Dark wooden cabinets were refreshed with white 2PAC – a durable hardened paint finish.

What were once stainless steel benchtops have become white and speckled – the larger, main bench is laminate, and the smaller one is granite.

“The smaller granite bench went in first, which is when I realised how expensive it was,” says Sally, “so I decided matching laminate was the way to go for the bigger bench.

“Now that I have both I actually prefer

Before

the laminate – it’s very easy to clean, and isn’t as loud when you drop something onto it.

“The white cabinets, benches and roof bounce the light around the whole area.

“It’s unbelievable how much bigger the kitchen feels now.”

The white features play backdrop to charcoal accents. The once silver arch handles are now charcoal and rectangular in shape, matching the fridge, coffee machine, oven… right down to the plant pots on the window sill.

The vintage-style kitchen tap, also charcoal, was a $100 bargain found online.

Sally has kept the home’s original rimu flooring, with one minor adjustment.

“Before, the floor in the kitchen and dining room were separated by these hideous river stones, which I took to with a chisel.”

Now two slates of rimu, going in an opposite direction to the rest of the flooring, separates the rooms – a look Sally says is common in Auckland villas.

Making space

Sally altered her laundry to suit her needs. Rather than committing to the large original tub that she “only used to clean Oscar’s bowl”, she opted for one half the size to make room for a wine fridge.

Altering the original set up didn’t come without its challenges, thanks to old

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life+style The Weekend Sun 3

“My style is a modern and vintage hybrid.

The light helps to keep that balance, and ties it all together.” copper piping and concrete walls.

“Also, because there’s old stucco on the walls, they’re not flat. So when the benchtop was installed, it would fit in some places but not others.”

Sally had the same problem when laying the backsplash tiles, “I had to really look to make sure they were even”.

The tiles match the kitchen’s colour theme – white with a dark grey pattern.

The laundry is snug, but Sally maximises storage with a free standing cupboard and cubby holes to fit rattan baskets.

“When I moved in, the wardrobe in the master bedroom was the only storage space in the entire house, so creating extra storage has been a game changer.”

The laundry benchtop doubles as a treat station complete with hot chocolate ingredients, as well as snacks for Oscar.

Sally enlisted Tauranga-based Facelift Kitchens to complete the kitchen and laundry renovation.

“The owner, Mark Davis, did an efficient and very accurate job,” says Sally.

“He’s awesome at offering ideas along the way to make the spaces look as good as possible – from choosing squared-off benchtops and cupboard handles for a modern look, to incorporating the laundry sink into the bench, rather than having it freestanding, for better cohesion.”

Inside out

The dining room opens onto the patio, a relaxing outdoor lounge area.

“The doors to the patio are open all year round because the roof over it keeps the rain out,” says Sally.

A white-painted, wood slated roof continues from the patio into the dining room, connecting the two spaces.

“The new ceiling makes all of the difference,” says Sally.

“Before, the dining room had a pinex ceiling that gave the space an old batchstyle look.

“Now, it feels Hamptons-sy.”

Sally says the ceiling is her favourite part of the dining room. She says the idea wouldn’t have crossed her mind if it wasn’t suggested by her builder, Luke Morrow from L M Alterations Ltd. Luke has been her go-to builder for almost four years.

“Luke is creative, very easy to work with and pedantic about the details, so everything he does is always finished quite beautifully.”

A modern pendant light in the dining room, sporting 15 light bulbs, ties in the dark accents from the kitchen.

“My style is a modern and vintage hybrid. The light helps to keep that balance, and ties it all together.”

MacKenzie Dyer

Spencer Day

Sales@weathermasterbop.co.nz 0800-102-710

4

10August, September, life+style The Weekend Sun 21 20152021

The The timeless structure of a heritage home is what caught the eye of a Tauranga businessman and his wife.

The attention to detail, old native wood and high ceilings are just some of the reasons why the Tauranga local decided to buy old, and from it create new.

A lot of careful planning was carried out before the owners of a Bay of Plenty accounting firm decided to dive in and purchase a 100-year-old villa to renovate into a fully functioning, modern office space.

With three-metre high ceilings, exposed rafters made from beautiful old wood, and kauri flooring throughout, it was exactly what the pair were looking for.

Location, location

The old building sat on Selwyn Street in the centre Tauranga, however the area it was to be moved to was situated on Clarke Road in Te Puna.

The first step was to clear the area on the Te Puna property and transfer the house some 11.2km to the site it sits on today.

They decided to relocate the villa instead of building from scratch, as the property already includes other buildings from current businesses. They also thought a modern building wouldn’t do the Clarke Road Village justice.

It was decided that the old style

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old villa was just much better suited for the village.

White Builders Mount Maunganui owner Stefan White was carrying out some small jobs for the businessman when he was approached regarding the vast and exciting project.

“It started out as a relocate and small renovation, but turned into a whole refit and reclad,” says Stefan.

Keeping character

Once the building had been relocated, work began on modernising the villa without taking away its authentic and character filled roots.

“The villa was re-piled on site, extended and re framed with 90 per cent of the framing replaced,” explains Stefan.

“The framing had to be altered for the new windows, so we propped up the whole roof with temporary props and built all new walls under it.

“The only original thing in the whole villa is the floor covering and the ceilings.”

Due to the extension, some flooring had to be sought from elsewhere.

Stefan says when it comes to old houses, you can’t just order from Mitre 10 or Bunnings.

“You’ve actually got to do a lot of shopping around,” says Stefan.

“With the flooring, I went to almost every second-hand building retailer in Tauranga to find it.”

The goal of a heritage restoration is to make sure everything blends in together carefully.

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modern office “It’s also about choosing the materials you use and how everything is constructed, as you don’t want to take away from the timeless look.

“That’s the difference between a good job and bad job with these beautiful old homes. You really have to be passionate about old homes to understand and get it right. The owner and me both share a love for old homes, so it worked perfectly.

“Anyone can do it to get the job done, but to make it look like it was done all at the same time is the goal. It’s making sure everything is uniform and keeping that old-school look on the outside.

“I think we achieved that here, 100 per cent,” says Stefan.

In with the old

Although from the outside the office still looks like an old, wellkept villa, the inside has since been transformed into a modern and sleek work space.

With new windows and skylights placed above the space, the natural light is perfect for an office environment.

Energy Services are also proud to have been involved in this project.

Energy Services provided everything from LED lighting, security systems and underground systems to heating and ventilation which is needed in a 100-year-old building.

We were there from “start to finish,” says Energy Services’

Andrew Stockman.

The Bay Accounting owner says the office works brilliantly in the space they have designed.

“Anyone and everyone who visits is really appreciative of the work these guys have done for us.

“It’s a very modern building, with all white walls and lots of glass, but the rich colour of the old wooden floors and beams still showcase the history of the place.

“I have quite a bit of experience in the building industry as I built my own houses, and I wouldn’t have done anything different. Stefan and White Builders did a really good job.”

Stefan says that to this day, the Bay Accounting office has been his favourite job to complete.

“The owner helped me a lot over the years with tips over our coffees and lunches. He’s actually been a mentor to me and he probably doesn’t even realise.”

Jordan Boyd

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The outside of the property still has the characteristics of an older style villa.

Below: The villa originally sat in the Tauranga CBD before being cut in half and transported to Te Puna.

6

September, life+style The Weekend Sun 2110August, 2015 2021

Creating their Nestled in Pāpāmoa is a slice of paradise, complete with a cabana, waterfall feature and a pool surrounded by tropical plants.

After

Creating an oasis was Kay Ganley’s vision from the start of her renovation, and she wanted both inside and outside to reflect that.

Kay and her husband Mike Gallagher purchased their property in September last year, and have completely renovated the four-bedroom home and re-done the landscaping.

They enlisted J Hamblin Carpentry for the job and Mike did some of the demolition himself.

The 330m2 home was built in the 2005 and was quite dated so needed a refresh, says Kay. The walls and joinery were a dark beige, while the windows were tinted.

“It was quite dark,” says Kay. “It just wasn’t our style. We like white and light and bright - that’s why we felt it needed a makeover.”

Lightening up

After

Before

Before

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Outside, the original cream bricks have been painted a fresh white, the roof has been painted and repointed and the joinery has been replaced.

In the living areas the sliding doors between the sunroom, lounge and kitchen have been removed to improve the sight lines and create a more openplan space.

The floors have been replaced with engineered timber in a light oak to keep the spaces bright and airy. Oversized skirting boards and architraves further enhance the space.

The two bathrooms are now stylish, with large floor-to-ceiling white marble-look tiles that are complemented with brushed brass tapware, towel rails and lights. Wood veneer cabinets and

tropical plants complete the look.

A shaker style kitchen with white cupboards and brass handles coupled with marble-look waterfall bench tops and stainless-steel appliances continue the opulence.

Finishing touches

Having a specific colour scheme in mind meant Kay found it hard to get the right look for the brass handles, so she purchased solid brass handles from Italy and brass hinges for the door.

“The handles will patina and continue to have that aged look about them,” says Kay. Kay chose all of the colours, fittings and flooring herself, because she had a clear vision and enjoys interior design.

“It’s something I’ve always loved doing,”she says.

Having lived in an apartment in Mount Maunganui for 17 years, Kay wasn’t sure she would adapt to life in Pāpāmoa.

“It’s a complete lifestyle change for us,” she says.

“People our age are normally doing the reverse.

“It’s been a lovely change for us and we enjoy the space.”

J Hamblin Carpentry owner John Hamblin says the renovation started with “a few things” before it grew, and he admits he fully enjoyed working with Kay and Mike.

“They were wonderful clients to work with, very easy to get along with and appreciative of our work,” says John.

“Kay especially had a very strong image of what she wanted as the end result.”

Via Pinterest boards and photos, Kay produced examples of what she planned to achieve, and John says it was a slight challenge to translate those photos into workable concepts for the space.

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oasis Cool cabana

A space Kay and Mike love is the cabana that John built, which wasn’t originally part of the plan. It too was inspired by a photo.

“It’s something a bit different, with a bit of pizazz,” admits John. “That was a good fun part of the build.”

The cabana is in the same style as the house, painted bright white with shutters and a vaulted roof with beams and rafters exposed.

“We were also trying to use materials that tied in with the theme they had running through the interior of the main house,” he says.

The oversized skirting and architraves

continue into the cabana, and some of the cladding matches the front entrance gable end as well.

“We tied it all together and maintained a common theme throughout the whole build,” says John.

Despite the large nature of the renovation, a team of three builders completed the impressive work in just four months.

John and his team all worked on the home at some point and are really thrilled with the outcome.

“They wanted a tropical plantation look, which they’ve achieved brilliantly in the middle of Pāpāmoa,” he says.

Kay says initially there wasn’t anything exceptional about the brick and tile home, but now it has a really nice feel to it.

“We’ve turned an ordinary home and property into something quite special,” she says.

Alisha Evans

All Photos: John Borren.

“Working out how to transform an idea from a photo or something on Pinterest - to bring that to life and make it work within their property was a bit of fun,” he says.

Before

PIC TO COME

After

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10August, September, life+style The Weekend Sun 21 20152021

Enhancing a The grandeur, scale and stunning surrounds are what drew Jenny and Rob Stantiall to their Whakamārama property.

“The outlook, and the aspect of the property is just pretty special,” says Jenny. “It’s private and surrounded by water.

“It’s pretty amazing, pretty unique, that’s what we fell in love with.”

Their property is nestled in a secluded enclave of the Plummers Point peninsula, providing complete privacy and beautiful views of the water.

Rob wanted a new challenge and began looking at avocado orchards to provide some extra income.

A shared experience

After

Originally the property wasn’t on their radar, but their daughter and son in-law were also looking at property in the area, so they looked at it together.

Rob and Jenny choose to live in the sperate cottage and manage the main home as accommodation and for special occasions or corporate events. They have renamed the property Te Puna Point Retreat.

“It’s a place where we can all get together as a family to enjoy it, and we want to be able to share that experience with others,” says Jenny.

The home was built in 2006 and needed a refresh to bring it into 2021.

“It was very dark colours. It didn’t look horrible, but it needed modernising and brightening up.”

Calming neutrals

Before

All Photos: John Borren.

After

Before

After purchasing it in April, the couple have changed the colour scheme, choosing a neutral palette to freshen up the rooms.

The kitchen and living area walls were steeped in a deep burgundy, but now glow with the neutral grey quarter napa, complementing the original carpet and tiles.

The dark walls continued in the bedrooms with deep olive and navy.

These too have been repainted - the master bedroom in the separate downstairs wing is half foggy grey.

The upstairs bedroom, library and two of the downstairs bedrooms are painted half albescent white.

When it came to furnishing the home and choosing paint colours, they enlisted the help of Lynette Lochhead of Design on James.

Lynette says there were a lot of very strong colours that needed to be softened and the lighting needed refreshing.

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21 August,2021 2015 10 September,

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secluded In the main living area, the walls needed to complement the existing floor and ceiling.

“The ceiling, which vaulted up two stories in places, was a particular colour and we didn’t need to paint everything, so we worked in with the existing colours,” says Lynette.

Scaling up

The grand scale of the property meant standard furnishing wouldn’t create the right feel, so Lynette had custom couches made by Montreux Furniture.

“Being such large rooms, especially in the main living area, you had to make sure that the furniture was to scale, so that had to be oversized and generous.”

She also ensured the materials used for furnishings are durable enough to suit the rental nature of the retreat.

“There was a lot of indoor-outdoor fabrics used, which meant they have wearability.”

It was also important to Jenny and Rob to use New Zealand-made products wherever possible, and they chose New Zealand wool throws and blankets as well as a Kiwi company for the toiletries.

“We wanted to keep a New Zealand feel,” says Jenny.

The home has many quality features including schist pillars and recycled swamp totara beams, she says. Inside there are extensive fossil stone floor tiles and a 2.5 tonne soapstone fireplace imported from Finland.

The lounge room has floor-to-ceiling windows and the other living areas and most of the downstairs bedrooms have large folding doors that open to the expansive grounds, pool and outdoor fire, which all have views of the water.

These are complemented with splices of the shist columns that surround the 753sqm home.

When choosing lighting, they wanted it to fit with

the style of the home but not obstruct the outlook.

Vogue Lighting owner Lois Helling used the original lights in the entrance as inspiration for the other fittings.

In the dining room, a large linear metal and glass piece was chosen and in the living area there are circular lights of the same style.

Lois says she went with a lodge style for the lights because of the substantial construction of the building.

“It had to be something that was strong and that did the space justice so it couldn’t be too fine in detail,” says Lois.

“To enhance the spaces, the lights needed to be a reflection of how they were using the rooms.”

The large size of the rooms meant Lois needed to ensure the lights provide enough illumination.

Jenny and Rob are no strangers to renovations, having fully renovated their previous home in Minden, Te Puna.

Jenny’s favourite part of the renovation is how the separate guest wing has turned out.

“It has a light summery feel,” she says, “but the whole property is gorgeous.”

Alisha Evans

After

Before

After

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2021 life+style The Weekend Sun 10 21 September, August, 2015

A gem for the When John and Clare Cole purchased their home in 2016, they knew straight away that they wanted a pool to share with their family, and most importantly, their grandchildren.

After

Before

After

Their main goal was not only to fit the feature into the landscape, but to enhance the way it was viewed.

The property, which sits in the rural area of Pahoia in the Western Bay of Plenty, is just over 20km from Tauranga city, and has an outstanding view that looks straight out onto Tauranga Harbour and Mount Maunganui.

One stop shop

Before

It wasn’t until the pair had lived at the property for 12 months that they started to enquire with different companies about bringing their vision to life. One of them was True Style.

“As it was a big job, we didn’t really want to hire different contractors for each stage of the build,” says John. “The pool needed to be fitted into the landscape, so the area needed to be landscaped and different levels made at the same time.

“The difference with Logan, from True Style, was that he had a vision of what we wanted to achieve, and he not only supplied and fitted the pool, he was able to carry out the tiling around the pool as well as the glass fencing and retaining walls. It was a one stop shop.

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“It was also a New Zealand, locally-made pool manufacturer here in Tauranga.”

John says their first vision was to have the pool placed on the side of the property, but their minds were quickly changed when they realised it could be so much more.

“Initially, we wanted a pool out to the side and now its cut into the front of the property, looking out to the Mount,” he says.

“Logan got a full grasp of what we had and what we wanted, and he also designed what the outdoor area would be like.

“If you looked at it today, you would think that this thing had been here forever. It all works perfectly.”

The pool, however, hasn’t been there forever and the vast project was carried out over a period of months.

Getting to it

Originally, the front of the house, with its all-day sun and wrap around views, was practically empty.

“There was just a row of old red robin trees and a bit of a bank,” says John.

Logan from True Style says the project began by creating the initial platform for the pool area.

“At the start there was a bit of a garden and all sorts of trees in there, so we lowered the ground and built a platform for the pool,” says Logan.

“We dug down and built a retaining wall and leveled out the area where the pool and garden are today. We built another retaining wall along the side.”

10 September, 2021 21 August, 2015

The 12x4m pool shell was then placed into the ground - the biggest pool size that True Style fits.

Jumping in

The couple decided to use white quartz as the coping stone and paving surrounding the pool.

The final look gives it a sleek finish that brings out the colour of the water and matches well with their home and outside area.

“We also wanted a jumping rock for the grandkids,” adds John, “so we put three rocks in. One of the rocks is positioned perfectly so the kids can jump off into the deep end of the pool.

“It’s kid friendly and a great family asset. All the natural elements just came together.

“The only thing Logan didn’t do was the gardening, which is what we wanted to do.

life+style The Weekend Sun ˛˛

“From sunrise to sunset it gets that natural heating from the sun,” says John, “but going into summer or coming out of summer we also have a heat pump.

“The heat pump stretches out our pool use. We turn it on at the end of September and then can continue using the pool throughout the summer months and into May. “That first summer was absolutely brilliant - we had our family here and the kids practically lived in the pool.

“We love everything about it.

“The whole things just ties together perfectly.”

Jordan Boyd All Photos: John Borren.

A splash of green

“My wife put in all the gardens surrounding the pool, which just adds to the natural feel of it and really helps it to blend into the natural landscape.

“When you drive up the driveway you wouldn’t even be able to see that there is a pool here.”

On a sunny day the pool can heat itself up to about 32 degrees.

@ c o a st n z

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life+style The Weekend Sun ˜° August, ˜˛°˝