When Greg and Vanessa purchased their home in Sandringham, they loved the central location and surrounding community.  The fact the house was set well back from the road providing plenty of privacy and extra safety for their kids was a bonus.

But just like many homes built between the 1940s and 1960s, it was small, boxy and basic.  Previous owners had made lots of different modifications to it, which all combined, negatively affected the flow and liveability of the property.

With a growing family in need of more space, Greg and Vanessa were faced with the possibility of selling and moving into a bigger home.  However, in such a fast paced real estate market in Auckland, it became clear that moving would mean they would have to make several compromises.  Their final decision was to invest and renovate their current home.

The Brief

The brief from Greg and Vanessa was to enlarge their home to provide their growing family with more space and bedrooms, open the existing living areas to create better flow internally as well as connecting living areas with the outdoors.

The Solution

The size and shape of the section meant that a conventional extension off the rear of the existing home wasn’t an option so the brief was met with a design incorporating a second storey addition.

The design included a spacious entry with stairs leading up to the second level which included a master bedroom with walk-in wardrobe and ensuite bathroom as well as a guest bedroom.  There was also a spacious landing at the top of the stairs with a large window and built in seating.

On the ground floor, walls between the living and kitchen areas and a small existing bedroom were removed to create an open living, kitchen and dining area with large bi-fold doors opening up onto the rear deck.

Overall the floor area was increased in size by 52% and the house went from being a pokey three bedroom, one bathroom home to a stylish and modern four bedroom, two bathroom home.

The Challenges

• Building a second storey onto a house means removing the existing roof and opening the house to the elements which can be challenging at the best of times. As this project was constructed through autumn and winter the risk of bad weather disrupting the build was increased, and in anticipation of the usual wet Auckland weather, it was decided that shrink wrapping the site would be a wise investment to minimise any potential water damage and to keep the build on schedule.
• Greg and Vanessa also decided to live on site with their young children throughout the build. The approach taken towards the build and the schedule itself needed to take this into consideration to keep the house as liveable for as long as possible.  Thankfully the design meant the existing kitchen could be kept in place right up until the new kitchen was ready to be installed which minimised disruption.
• Tying the cladding of the new storey in with the existing brick on the ground floor was important to ensure the overall appearance was in keeping with the original look of the house. This was achieved through careful colour selection and the use of a smaller profile weatherboard which matched the period of the original house.

Greg and Vanessa love the indoor-outdoor flow and the extra space the new layout provides.  The final result exceeded their expectations and their only regret is that they didn’t do it sooner!