Empire Ave

Over the years when the family would come together for the holidays, it was clear to the homeowner that the property wasn’t meeting their needs. The existing layout and bathrooms were underwhelming and lacked any sort of planning. Furthermore, they were outdated, overused and impractical (shower with no bath) for any young family.
 

As a result, despite everyone being together during the best of times, it was clear that the spaces themselves were letting them down. The property was ultimately in need of an overhaul to improve the standard and quality living that when matched with the view would significantly improve the overall experience. 

When NDH got involved, our initial conversations with the client were around how we could help them achieve a result that would provide a better use of space that was inclusive for the entire family. Being a quirky character home, it was imperative that we also retained the existing details so that any new work would seamlessly blend into the overall style, look and feel. 

Thanks to years of high-spec villa renovations, Louis' attention to detail is a strength embedded in the team's DNA, which meant reusing the existing native timber and aspects of the house to retain its character for example, a process the team was  well and truly comfortable with.

The renovation itself consisted of two new bathrooms that boast modern showers and one bath opening up to the lush surrounding gardens. We also improved the guest/master bedrooms by reconfiguring wardrobes and adding an ensuite. The addition of skylights to the ensuite and hallway were essential to give required natural light and ventilation. And finally, the laundry was reconfigured and made more user friendly in a better location. 

Renovations are never straightforward however, and this one wasn’t short of its own set of unique challenges. 

Being located on Waiheke meant that all sub trades and builders were brought from Auckland to work on this project. We’re proud to say we managed all of these logistics without any major hiccups due to careful upfront planning and communication  - another capability we’ve built over the years from working in highly complex environments with many moving parts. 

To help ensure we made these improvements consistent with the design aesthetic the homeowner was accustomed to in other properties they owned, their lead architect was asked to be involved in the renovation process, which is an ideal way for us to showcase our passion for creating high quality outcomes with uncompromising detail - both aesthetically and functionally. Without this working relationship, constraints like the irregular shape of the floorplan that needed special attention to detail to maximise usable space would have been difficult to attain. 

Overall, the level of care and consideration applied to this job provided the homeowner with a  seamless, modern and sophisticated result we’re extremely proud of and we know they’ll be enjoying for many years to come.