When your wishlist specifies a character home close to the city and close to Ponsonby Road, it doesn’t get much better than Franklin Road.
And 17 Franklin Road in Freemans Bay is only a few letterboxes from Ponsonby Road, so it quickly made it onto the shortlist of homes Steve and Aston Holland were considering when they were looking five years ago.
The old villa was fairly described back then as a ‘beautiful do-up needing a renovation to sing again’, and Steve agrees the house was very tired.
But he and Aston loved the character and period features and bought it with a clear vision of what they wanted.
Start your property search
It took about four years to achieve it, although that wasn’t the plan.
“I had visions of us sitting in our fully renovated house 12 months on,” Steve laughs.
The renovation involved some demolition and rebuilding – a lean-to that had been added on had to be removed – and then they totally rebuilt and renovated the existing part of the house. “It was a full facelift.”
When the homeowners bought the villa, it was described as a ‘beautiful do-up needing a renovation to sing again’. Photo / Supplied
Today the house is a four-bedroom, two-bathroom configuration where contemporary amenities blend easily with the high ceilings, native timber floors throughout, classic archways and ornate skirtings and scotias.
The living area is a bright, integrated space with daylight directed through a large skylight.
The focus is the sleek, contemporary kitchen with an elegant island bench and ample storage, and a modern fireplace in the original fire surround heating the open plan area.
The flooring in this rebuilt space is parquet, designed to dovetail with the native timber elsewhere.
The house is a four-bedroom, two-bathroom configuration with high ceilings and native timber floors throughout. Photo / Supplied
Oversized sliders open up to a good-sized deck, lawn and garden area with easy-care, subtropical plantings. Photo / Supplied
The area opens through oversized sliders to a good-sized deck and a sweet lawn and garden area with easy-care, subtropical plantings.
There’s a change of level from the living via a few stairs to the bedroom and bathroom wing, where the native timber floors and ornate fireplaces continue.
The master bedroom has a bay window and a spacious ensuite, and the family bathroom has both bath and shower.
It’s evident that Steve and Aston have loved this villa, as well as its position on Franklin with its London plane trees and the annual display of Christmas lights which are a real feature of the Christmas carnival spirit.
The living area is bright with daylight directed through a large skylight, and a modern fireplace in the original fire surround. Photo / Supplied
With the shops and cafes of Ponsonby Road on the doorstep and the CBD and waterfront close by, it’s a unique location.
“Because we liked the area so much we did this renovation totally for ourselves,” Steve says.
“We still love the house but now we are heading back to Australia for family reasons. I’m Australian and Aston is a Kiwi, so I have been held to account that we will be returning at some point.”
17 Franklin Road in Freemans Bay, Auckland will be sold at auction on May 18. Angela Saunders of Ray White, Ponsonby is marketing the property.
