A rundown villa on the edge of Auckland's Waitakere Ranges has hit the market after a dramatic restoration by former TVNZ journalist Carla Penman.
Carla and her husband Ben Verboeket bought the drab three-bedroom home at 262 Glengarry Road, Glen Eden, at the end of 2020, and moved in just days after their wedding.
They spent the next three years restoring the property, room by room, weatherboard by weatherboard
Carla, who left TVNZ in 2020 and now works as a media advisor for Te Whatu Ora, told OneRoof: “We knew we had a mammoth project ahead of us but we were both up for it.
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“After we’d spent a few weekends chopping down the overgrown trees on the section, neighbours said to us, ‘I can’t believe there was a house behind there.’
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The early 20th-century villa was relocated from Devonport to Glen Eden in the 1980s.
The couple had been looking for their first home, and had been drawn in by the listing blurb, which called on buyers with "the vision to rejuvenate, revitalise and restore this beauty to its original magnificence".
That’s exactly what the couple have done. Along the way, they had two children, Charlie, two, and Sophia, four months.
The villa in 2020, just after Carla and Ben Verboeket bought it for $833,000. Back then, the house was in a poor shape and needed some TLC. Photo / Supplied
The Verboekets repainting the drab blue exteriors a classic white. Photo / Supplied
Carla told OneRoof: “It was pretty daunting turning up, getting the keys, and looking at all the things that needed doing, but we could see the potential.”
The villa they bought for $833,000 still had classic heritage features, including the two front bay windows topped with leadlights.
Carla said: “It required a huge facelift but we gave ourselves a three-year deadline. We constantly chipped away at the work, sometimes with the assistance of Ben’s parents, who would pop up from Wellington to help us. We put our heart and soul into making it look great.”
The villa's interiors are bright and spacious. Photo / Supplied
The kitchen makes most of the light and the view. Photo / Supplied
The couple repainted the dark blue exteriors a bright white and gave the interiors a face-lift, polishing the matai flooring and restoring the high-stud plaster ceiling.
They also installed underfloor heat-pumps and added wardrobing to the two front bedrooms.
The open-plan kitchen and dining area, which was previously dominated by dark blue cabinetry, is now white and makes the most of the view of the native bush outside.
Carla said the couple were selling to be closer to central Auckland and a new project: "We couldn’t have done it without the help of our family, YouTube tutorials, and home renovation shows."
Carla and Ben in 2019. The couple started their mammoth project soon after they were married. Photo / Norrie Montgomery
The property is listed with Harveys agents Neal and Megs Maguire and goes to auction on June 15. They said the property had been "beautifully refreshed and renovated to a high standard".
- 262 Glengarry Road, in Glen Eden, Auckland, goes to auction on June 15
