When architectural designer Nick Dunning spotted a tiny newspaper ad for a leaking, rundown house in Hastings, he knew he had to take a look.
Dunning had just completed the design of his parents’ striking home, which later featured on the eighth season of Grand Designs New Zealand, yet he still didn’t own a place of his own.
His partner, Amy Pennington, took some convincing. But the moment they wandered down the tree-lined driveway at 806A Gordon Road, her doubts began to fade, and the property’s potential came into focus.
Built in 1959, the house was tired and neglected, having slipped into serious disrepair.
“We surprised the real estate agent when we came back. He didn’t get this house at all. He was very bemused and was like, ‘You guys actually want to buy this place?’” Dunning told OneRoof.
“The property was a mess, and the house was a mess. It was really hard to tell where the property was and what the house was like in the photographs.
Nick Dunning put his job on hold for three months to renovate his new family home. Photo / Supplied
Dunning and his partner turned the 1950s property into a modern family home while keeping the existing layout. Photo / Supplied
“It was leaking. It had never been repaired or renovated. The electricity wasn’t working, and the tenant there was just occupying the living room because the rest of the house wasn’t functioning; it was too cold.”
But Dunning saw past the obvious drawbacks, responding to the high ceilings, the interesting mid-century architecture and the huge ribbon of glass running along the side of the house.
Dunning and Pennington had a one-year-old child and were renting at the time, so they gave themselves three months to make the house, which they bought for $455,000, habitable.
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Dunning put his career on hold and worked around the clock to transform the wreck into a stunning family home.
“It’s a new house in a lot of ways,” he said. “It has a new roof, a new kitchen, a new bathroom, and new guttering, wiring, and plumbing. All the wall linings are new; the floors are essentially new. Everything is new except for the glass and the timber.”
But the new features were sympathetic to the house’s mid-century style. “One of the comments we get from some people who visit our house is, ‘Wow, what have you done to it? Is the kitchen original?’” Dunning said.
Before: The pair saw potential in the Gordon Road do-up and loved the large light-filled windows. Photo / Supplied
After: The thoughtful renovation honours the home’s original mid-century character while bringing it firmly into the modern era. Photo / Supplied
Pennington, who is now a real estate agent for Tremains, said the couple viewed the property as a very personal restoration rather than a renovation.
“We are taking a sort of calculated risk that there are people out there that don’t just want more white and beige and are actually looking for character, but without it needing to have a whole lot of expensive maintenance,” she said. She thought it would suit first home buyers and downsizers after a property with a private garden and where everything had been done for them.
The couple have put the home on the market because they’ve caught the renovation bug and want to sink their teeth into a larger 1970s home in Te Awanga.
The kitchen was a mess when Dunning and Pennington picked up the property. Photo / Supplied
After: The owners are appealing to people who appreciate good architecture. Photo / Supplied
Dunning explained: “We feel sad about leaving, but there’s this hunger to go and do it again and make beautiful spaces.”
He added: “It’s also just a really great learning experience for both of us; being able to empathise better with our clients. Renovating is stressful, buying a house is stressful.”
He said they would miss the huge garden on the 1194sqm site and the mid-century design of the house, which was unusual for Hawke’s Bay.
– 806a Gordon Road, Raureka, Hawke’s Bay, is for sale, deadline closing October 22