AN UPLIFTING HOME

The owners of this Ōhoka property were at the ‘Love it or list it’ stage when they embarked on an exciting project to renovate and extend the house. They describe the results as ‘something very special’. 

WORDS Anna Scaife PHOTOS Sarah Rowlands BUILDER D J Hewitt 

When they purchased in 2003, the owners felt their Ōhoka house stood out too much on the generous section, which was broken up by little more than a collection of diminutive olive trees. They set to work developing the garden and added a cottage for a family member, which they say “helped the house begin to gain some scale, to look more like it belonged on the property”.

Eventually, the couple settled on a renovation, approaching Daryl Hewitt of DJ Hewitt Builders to complete the work.

“We chose them because they had built a lovely home for friends of ours who spoke very highly of the company and their experience with them. We were aware of their excellent reputation in Christchurch, so we were thrilled when Daryl took it on as we thought our project might be too small.”

The first portion of the brief was to enhance the ensuite bathroom and extend the master bedroom to create a relaxing sanctuary and make the most of the stunning views.

“We added a freestanding bath and windows that look out over the gardens and towards the mountains. We also created a balcony off the bedroom to give it a more open feel plus add extra space to relax.”

Alterations to the exterior cladding modernised the home and further enhanced the connection between the house and the cottage.

“We added cedar gabling, which softened the exterior of the house and tied the two buildings together.”

The couple’s second request was to complete an extensive upgrade to both the interior and exterior of their home and add design features such as the beautiful Oamaru stone fire surround and ambient feature lighting.

“Our plan included upgrading all the bathrooms. We also replaced the carpets and flooring, updated the lighting, repainted the inside of the house and re-plastered and painted the outside.”

The couple enjoys cooking and entertaining, and this prompted a rethink of the outdoor areas to improve indoor-outdoor flow.

“The master bedroom extension created a covered patio, and we added a series of tiled outdoor living areas, so we have more connection between the garden and the kitchen and dining spaces.”

When selecting the interior finishes, the couple enlisted the help of consultants from McKenzie and Willis and Cavit & Co, as well as Tara from DJ Hewitt Builders, whose practised eye helped to narrow down the bathroom and kitchen specifications.

“We wanted a sophisticated, elegant look whilst remaining very homely. We enjoy original artwork and have incorporated our favourite pieces into the interiors. In the main bedroom, the interior colour choices were built around a large painting of sunflowers by John Badcock that we bought to hang above the bed. In the audio/music room, we went for a mix of quirky, retro, and Scandi themes.”

The couple says that overall the project ran very smoothly, and they enjoyed watching their new and improved home evolve.

“Daryl is very involved in the process and is both personable and approachable. We found the quality of the workmanship excellent, and all of the tradespeople on the job were extremely competent.”

And no matter the size of the job, it’s often the little touches that linger in the memory.

“The biggest joy for us was every little thing that needed to be done with the house, no matter how small, from fixing squeaking floors to painting the dog kennels in the dog run, was completed to an exceptional standard. When the house was finished, it was as perfect as it could be and a joy to live in.”

With the work completed, the home appears thoroughly modernised, balanced, and at home amongst the beautiful established gardens crowned by rows of beautiful spring blossom. The homeowners have firmly decided to ‘love it’ and are giving no more thought to moving on.

“The house is small enough for us to feel cosy and large enough to entertain and host multiple house guests.”

At a time when centring our lives around home and family has taken on a new level of importance, there’s no doubt this renovation project has met the brief. 

“The renovation has uplifted the house to something special for us; it has given us a sense of real permanence and happiness here.”