- A 1930s St Heliers cottage underwent a multimillion-dollar renovation, transforming it into a luxury home.
- The owners, involved in the entire process, spent $250,000 on appliances for three kitchens.
- The property, which is looking for an $18m-plus buyer, features high-end finishes and advanced smart systems.
It started with a simple plan to upgrade the deck, but the owners of a 1930s cottage in Auckland’s St Heliers soon found themselves knee-deep in a multimillion-dollar renovation.
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The project lasted years and looks like it cost $15 million in today’s money, but what they ended up with was worth it: a luxury resort-like home with few equals in a suburb teeming with mansions and architectural wonders.
The owners have thoroughly enjoyed their new-look five-bedroom pad at 20 Springcombe Road, but have now decided to put it on the market for sale. Expectations are high that it will snare an $18m-plus buyer – either local or foreign.
OneRoof got an exclusive tour of the trophy home and asked the listing agents, Kelly Brown and Jackie Parker, of New Zealand Sotheby’s International Realty, how the vendors brought their vision to life.
Brown told OneRoof that a build of this quality would cost around $20,000 per square metre if it were carried out today. “This was not a quick trip to Bunnings,” she said.
The original 1930s seaside-style house is now a statement in luxury. Photo / Supplied
The kitchen by Morgan Cronin is one of three in the house, which boasts $250,000 of appliances. Photo / Supplied
The lower level has a gym, a games room and another kitchen. Photo / Supplied
“The thing that is so wonderful is that the vendors were really involved in the entire process.”
The vendors had lived in the property for two decades before embarking on a renovation, prompted by the need to replace an aging deck.
“Then they started taking the walls apart. They realised that to do it properly, they really needed to do a full rebuild. At that stage, it became a passion project.”
The owners wanted their house to last another 100 years. Clearly, they knew what they were doing and spared no expense. Hidden from view is the structural steel that supports a carved-out garage, gym, and rumpus room. Also hidden is the home’s electronic brain – a smart system linked to a phone app that controls everything, right down to the heated bathroom towel rails.
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And a plus for US buyers: the house is wired for both American and New Zealand voltage.
It is hard to get excited about light switches – there are dozens in the living room alone – but they sit discreetly in the plastered walls and are pretty enough to stroke.
The “oh my” figure that left OneRoof gasping was $250,000. That was the sum the owners spent on appliances for the home’s three – yes, three – kitchens and entertaining areas, created by top kitchen designer Morgan Cronin.
OneRoof lost count of the fridges (two in the main kitchen and scullery alone) and the dish drawers, and was overwhelmed by the steam oven, coffee station, wine fridges and – our favourite – the cool drawers, which are discreetly hidden in the built-in joinery and convert from fridge to freezer. There are also two American-sized ranges in the kitchen (hence the dual voltage system).
The poolhouse opens to the paved pool terrace. Photo / Supplied
The owners found the original manufacturers, still in business, to refurbish the fireplace. Photo / Supplied
Five years after moving back into the house (the multi-year build was finished in 2021), the design-conscious owners were still making finishing touches.
“It was a lot of conversations and finding the right products to bring into the home,” Brown said. “They sought out very specific designers. They were very particular about every little detail that came into this house, and that took time.”
It is easy to see how costs mounted.
Walls are not just painted, but hand-finished in Venetian plaster. The hardware for the cedar high-performance windows had to be shipped from Germany to the local manufacturer. The light fixtures – the last things to be added, said Brown – cost thousands of dollars, and were shipped from Europe. Even the sleek switches and plugs, imported from Australia, cost hundreds of dollars each. The door handles came from London.
The property has spectacular views of the harbour. Photo / Supplied
One of the five bedrooms in the house. Each one has been kitted out for resort-style living. Photo / Supplied
“Sometimes art and light fixtures come together at the same time, so they’re not only functional, but they’re beautiful to look at,” Brown said.
“It was really important for them to build a home that didn’t take away the history. It is very unassuming; you do not know what unfolds behind the facade. It is timeless, and it just gets better and better as you move through the space.”
International investors now home-shopping in New Zealand were already getting in touch to view the property, Brown said.
- 20 Springcombe Road, St Heliers, Auckland, is for sale, deadline closing May 28
