Bringing a house on the edge of a vineyard from the 1960s to the 2020s

Neil and Jo Hunt weren’t even in the market for a new home when they stumbled upon a mid 60’s red brick house on the outskirts of Blenheim.

It was the autumn of 2018, and Neil was visiting a landscaper he knew through work, who had asked Neil to have a look at a house he owned in his capacity as a builder. The landscaper was thinking about selling, and wanted Neil’s opinion on whether it needed any substantial work before putting it on the market to sell privately.

When Neil saw it, he knew immediately that it had potential. He brought Jo around to have a look, and both agreed: this could turn into something special. So the couple bought the fixer-upper, knowing that it would require a lot of work to make it into their forever home. 

Luckily Neil’s building company, Hunt Construction, was on standby – so the following year, work began on a major renovation and extension of the house in Roseneath Lane in Springlands.

Neil’s company was well-placed to work on the Roseneath Lane house: Hunt Construction specialises in new builds, renovations and extensions throughout the Marlborough region, but especially in and around Blenheim and the myriad vineyards at the heart of New Zealand’s famous wine country.

“I’d say about 75% of our work comes from clients involved in some way in the wine industry,” says Neil. “The wine industry is so all-encompassing in the region that it also drives our industry. We do get the odd job that’s a bit different – and you could definitely say that about the renovation of our home.”

In 2019, the renovation began in earnest. It started with a cantilevered extension of the master bedroom, which included an en suite and large walk-in wardrobe. Since the bedroom was the only ‘extended’ part of the house, it was very important that the cladding and joinery looked seamless – so a decision needed to be made on what the exterior would look like.

“When we bought it, the original red brick cladding was still there, and we didn’t want to get rid of the brick altogether,” says Neil. “So we decided to paint the red bricks black, put on horizontal fixing bands, and then we screened them with Abodo vertical battens.

“This really helped modernise the house and give it a much cleaner look. It brought it straight from 1965 to 2022.”

Once the bedroom was complete, the renovation continued room by room. This included rewiring, updating the plumbing, redesigning, knocking down walls, soundproofing, upgrading the insulation, reglazing existing timber windows and ensuring they were waterproof – just for a start.

This encompassed three additional bedrooms, an office and also the primary bathroom. Then it was time for the final phase of the interior work, which was also the biggest: the kitchen, dining and living space.

“We wanted this to be a great area for entertaining,” says Neil. “It went from a cold and dark area of the house to one that’s flooded with light and warmth. There are raked ceilings, floor to ceiling windows, nice wooden floors, and a lovely window seat in the kitchen which catches the light.”

It would be no exaggeration to say that Hunt Construction was extremely busy with this project – almost every aspect of the site was updated, and this included the landscaping. The house came with a pool, but it was 15 years old and falling into disrepair; a lot of effort and money was expended on replastering, installing a heat pump and new pool cover, and erecting a pool fence to ensure it was compliant.

Landscaping and other outdoor work was the final box to be ticked, and this was completed late last year – which marked the end of a four year renovation, the majority of which was completed throughout a pandemic.

“It’s been a massive task, but considering we renovated or redesigned almost everything, I think it’s been a huge success – and we love living here,” says Neil.

And now the work is done, Roseneath Lane is now part of the ever growing list of successful projects in the Marlborough region delivered by Hunt Construction.

Learn more about Hunt Construction and its projects and expertise.