- A derelict mansion in Karori was transformed by Hazel Mauer after a $1.21m purchase.
- The renovation cost between $1.6m and $1.7m, taking 10 months to complete.
- Mauer had intended to make it her home but is now selling due to a change in circumstances.
A derelict mansion picked up at a heated mortgagee auction last year is back on the market after a stunning million-dollar-plus renovation.
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Hazel Mauer paid $1.21 million for the property at 83 Hatton Street, in Karori, Wellington, intending to turn it into a family home.
The seasoned property trader had carried out multiple flips over the years, but the project in front of her was extra special because she was going to live in the house.
The home was boarded up, the garden was overgrown, and the tennis court was in a poor state when Mauer bought the property in July last year. Photo / Supplied
She told OneRoof she was blown away by the size of the property and the privacy it offered, even though the house itself had been trashed.
“It was boarded up. The carpets were squelchy, there were holes in the walls and doors, and the bathrooms were downright nasty. There were extra bathrooms, bedrooms, and kitchenettes – none of them consented,” she said. The garden was also overgrown, and the tennis court was crumbling.
Some of the upgrades and repairs took longer than she had initially planned. It took a team of builders six weeks to gut the house and strip it back to its frames, which Mauer said also helped them get a better idea of the original layout.
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“If you look at [old] photographs, it was a lovely home. You could tell it was a quality home, tennis courts, lovely grounds all that kind of stuff, but it was tired. At that stage, it probably should have been renovated, but instead it was trashed. The bones were there, but I stripped it back completely – that and the cottage both got stripped back so that all that was left was the frames and the shell of the house.”
Multiple building teams worked on the property. One team was tasked with insulating and rebuilding the inside of the home, while others worked on the downstairs garage and the cottage.
Mauer meticulously planned and handpicked everything in the 350sqm home. She told OneRoof she went a “little overboard” because she had initially been renovating it for herself. “There were some things I could perhaps have saved money on if I hadn’t been going to live in it.”
The inside of the home was completely rebuilt and includes a waterfall benchtop, polished native floors, and radiator heating throughout. Photo / Supplied
Extras included a waterfall kitchen bench, radiator heating, and solid wood for the doors instead of hollow core doors.
The total renovation took 10 months and cost between $1.6m and $1.7m.
“It added up, but I still think it was worth it because it’s a brand-new house in an old shell. It’s a gorgeous house now,” Mauer said.
She’s selling up due to changed circumstances, but she’s pleased to have created a lovely home. “You have to do things right. I don’t believe that you can say you’ve done a renovation when all you’ve done is cosmetic work on a place. To me, a renovation of an old place – you need to rewire, you need to replumb, you need to make sure there’s no bora – it didn’t have any bora, which was a stroke of luck,” she said.
The new owner has had a change of plans so is selling it before even moving in. Photo / Supplied
“I just don’t believe that houses should be demolished if they can be saved and especially a house with the prominence that this one has had. It’s had two Sirs live in it.”
The 1950s home, once known as The Lodge, was once one of the capital city’s stately homes and had previously been owned by developer and philanthropist Sir Arthur Williams and former Reserve Bank governor Sir Spencer Russell.
Bayleys agent Ben Atwill said the home had undergone an impressive and impeccable transformation, which he believed had set a benchmark for this type of renovation.
Mauer didn’t even step inside the cottage in the garden before buying the property. Photo / Supplied
It has also had an impressive renovation and could be used for extended family members or run as an Airbnb. Photo / Supplied
“From what it was before, it’s nothing like it is today.”
Mauer had left no stone unturned, even widening hallways and moving stairwells to suit modern-day living, he said.
“You just don’t get homes with this much detail being put in. It’s not just a lick of paint and a bit of a zhuzh, this is top-to-toe renovation. It’s practically a brand-new house.”
The home had a “prestigious prominence”, he said, and would suit executive families looking for a lifestyle-type property without all the maintenance.
“It’s tastefully done. It’s understated. So, for those who want a prominent home where they can entertain, this is it. It ticks a lot of boxes.”
Atwill declined to give a price indication at this stage.
- 83 Hatton Street, in Karori, Wellington, is for sale, tender closing May 21
