Case Study 2: Sixties Nelson home extension and outdoor living addition

What do you do when your house has million-dollar views, but no one when the house was built in the 1960s seemed to realise that? Bowl the house and start again? Not Rosemary and Phillipe from Nelson.

Rosemary and Phillipe are astute property investors. Our Nelson builder, Peter Billings, had already completed two projects for them, so he was delighted to get a call from them to do an initial inspection on a property they were considering buying and renovating.

The challenge? To transform a 1960s single-storey two-bedroom single-garage weatherboard house overlooking beautiful Tasman Bay into a modern two-storey three-bedroom home with a master ensuite, double garage, enhanced indoor and outdoor living spaces and spectacular views.

Based on Peter’s assessment and the teamwork between Rosemary, Phillipe, Peter and a designer, the house purchase went through and the transformation began.

As you can see from this photo of the almost-completed home, the final design incorporated a new upper level containing 2 bedrooms and a bathroom, and an extension to the front of the house to create a new entranceway. The renovation and extension were completed with sensitivity for the original 1960s style of the house.

The entranceway included a lofty ceiling and chandelier, a staircase with a wrought-iron balustrade, and timber-framed windows which allowed plenty of natural light in but were in keeping with the house’s original look.

The new bathrooms included a cavernous walk-in shower with modern fittings but the occasional nod to sixties character – in this case, from the exquisite green mosaic tiles...

… and in this case from the retro style of the handbasins, the contrasting blue cabinets and the groovy square drawer handles.

Not shown in these photos are the new kitchen, vast new decking areas and freestanding double garage, all of which were completed, like the rest of the project, to a very high standard of design and workmanship. 

Some builders will tell you that any competent builder can manage home renovations and extensions, but after 15 years in the industry, we know that special skills and care are required in the type of work we do.

Contact us for a free In Home Consultation  - we'd love to talk with you about your renovation or extension.