Having fallen in love with the ‘incredible spirit’ of the house at 19 Buchanan Street in Devonport, North Shore, Rachel Archer set about giving it a completely new raison d’etre.
Now thoroughly overhauled, 19 Buchanan Street is two homes in one and is listed for sale by tender closing July 19 by Bayleys Devonport agent Linda Simmons. According to OneRoof data, the property last changed hands in 2020 for $3.475 million.
“It was so obviously a quality build from day one. There was no pinching either pennies or centimetres. It was warm, dry and quiet and had lovely bones,” Archer says.
Those bones were put in place in 1893 when James Mays, a builder by trade who made his fortune in the Coromandel gold fields, built the house for his wife Kate. They called it Lowestoft, and for many years it was a single-storey house with an underdeveloped downstairs area.
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In 1926 it took on new life as a maternity hospital and welcomed newborns for the next 50 years. It later became a family home and in 2016 underwent some sympathetic renovations which removed numerous fake ceilings, uncovered kauri panelling on the walls and revealed fireplaces, one of which still contained ash.
Upstairs is the generous four-bedroom family villa and downstairs is the separate three-bedroom luxury apartment. Photo / Supplied
Archer wanted to fully realise the villa’s potential and, working on her own, decided on a total overhaul of the property which would change its raison d’etre completely.
“Initially I was asking myself ‘what do you do with a space this big?’ But we’re in a time when so many people need places to live and I thought, ‘this could be two beautiful homes’,” Archer says.
Undaunted by the size of the project, she re-designed the entire floorplan to create a range of options, putting a lot of thought into what would appeal to other people, in particular middle-income families.
The reconfiguration now offers two homes in one – a generous four-bedroom family villa, and a totally separate three-bedroom luxury apartment. The balance of old and new is achieved with professional skill.
In the main home there are four big bedrooms including a master with ensuite, a family bathroom, a serene, north-facing lounge, and a work-from-home office.
The family villa upstairs has an office and a north-facing lounge. Photo / Supplied
The view from the open-plan chef’s kitchen, dining area and casual lounge is spectacular. Photo / Supplied
Spectacular harbour and city views are showcased from the open-plan chef’s kitchen, dining area and casual lounge.
The spacious luxury apartment downstairs has its own entrance and has three bedrooms with built-in wardrobes, two bathrooms, a large separate lounge and designer kitchen.
This new incarnation provides enough space for a big family to live with comfortable ease in the main villa, with the bonus of being able to have extended family living independently close by. Tenanting the apartment is another option.
The 971sqm garden provides ample space for shared outdoor living, and the views of city and sea are beautiful.
Achieving all she has at this iconic Devonport address, Archer is looking forward to her next project. “This has inspired me to carry on working to open up great living opportunities to middle-income families.”
