A heritage home renovation in Wellington

Carrying out a renovation generally comes with the territory of living within a 120-year-old heritage home. This particular Wellington home was in need of some TLC and, in the process, homeowners Dean and Rose decided to take the opportunity to personalise it. They contacted Refresh Renovations specialist Jeff Clark to discuss their ideas. From there, every detail of their renovation was managed for them.

Cottage renovation theme vs. contemporary renovation

“We wanted to create contrast between the old and the new”, explains Dean.  “We wanted to retain the cottage look at the front of our house and have a modern, contemporary structure out the back. This included a total house makeover with a reconfigured kitchen and bathroom and an extension to the living area.”
An important aspect of the project was its timeline - it needed to be completed by Christmas. So working with a company that followed an effective design and build process was essential. 
“This renovation is not something we had the time to manage ourselves”, tells Dean. “We really wanted a design, build and project management company”.
Jeff and project manager Melissa Mentz led Dean and Rose through Refresh’s 5-step process, ensuring the design and plan was just right before beginning the project.

A new home design

“We went through two formal concepts for Dean and Rose”, explains Jeff. “During this process, one of the options fell away and we pursued the other with vigour. We then broke the costings down into 1. Landscaping 2. Extension 3. Remediation of the existing house and 4. Kitchen/Laundry; so that they could choose which combination of options suited best.” 
Once Rose and Dean had made their selections, Jeff and his team moved on to the project’s working drawings and council consent applications.
“The location of the house is designated historically significant by the Wellington City Council”, explains Jeff. “This meant we needed to retain the facade completely but it did allow room for artistic license for the extension, which isn't visible from the road. Also impacting on this was the fact that the neighbour's dwellings are very close - 1 metre, which complicates things from a town planning and fire perspective -  coupled with every other dwelling sharing sewage and water.”

Bathroom renovation

In the bathroom, a modern walk-in shower was installed, complete with Italian soft grey and dark grey porcelain tiles and a “rosy blush” hexagon tile accent in which to store shower products. 
By utilising products from Robertson Bathware's range, including the Parisi Linfa Toilet, Grohe Lineare Tapware & ArtCeram Cognac Vessel basin, the finished bathroom is a modern and welcome addition to the homes stunning end result. 

The updated home design

The master bedroom now includes a feature wall, recessed lighting and a cosy loop-pile carpet for a comfortable start on cold mornings.  
New timber-look vinyl planks lead through the hallway and to the kitchen’s new polished concrete slab flooring - a challenging part of the installation, due to requirements surrounding temperature, humidity and curing timing. The modern, clean finish is stylistically cohesive with the kitchen’s new high gloss cabinets, engineered stone benchtops and smokey reflective mirror splashback.
The home exterior also has a completely new feel, with new stained and painted light grey weatherboards. An exterior concrete slab was established to create a spa pool area and additional paving and landscaping work was carried out to enhance the home’s indoor-outdoor flow. 
Completed within seven months, Jeff and Melissa were delighted to be able to present Rose and Dean with their finished home before Christmas - a result that Melissa puts down to careful project management and a great team of tradespeople. 
“We really enjoyed working with Jeff and the team”, says Dean. “Jeff, Melissa and Michael (architect) understood our vision and what we wanted to achieve. We loved that they were almost as excited about the build as we were! Our renovation was completed on time and any issues were resolved quickly.”
“Dean and Rose had great taste and design flair, so they made it easy to make the place look amazing”, concludes Melissa. “They were very lovely to deal with.”
When asked about her favourite features, Melissa finds it difficult to choose. Between the tiled bathroom, a stylistic blend of heritage and modern interior design and the inviting outdoor area - there’s a lot to love. However, for Dean and Rose, one update stands out among the rest.
“Our favourite feature has to be the floor to ceiling windows and doors, creating a seamless transition inside to out. The final result far exceeded our expectations and we absolutely love it!”

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