- A 115-year-old villa on Waiheke Island, named Lady Hastings, is for sale after extensive renovations.
- Owners Brian and Claire transformed the incomplete property, adding features like French windows and a pool.
- Bayleys agent Mana Tahapehi noted the area’s popularity, with properties in the $2m to $4m range gaining traction.
A 115-year-old villa is up for grabs on Auckland’s Waiheke Island after a makeover that’s been the talk of the neighbourhood for almost five years.
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The owners of “Lady Hastings” are selling up and heading home to Taupō now that they have finished their epic renovation.
Brian and Claire told OneRoof they bought the three-bedroom home in 2020 knowing they had their work cut out for them.
The villa was down to its studs, with no plumbing before the new owners took over the build and added a pool. Photo / Supplied
The modern kitchen was made from rimu timber milled from the old skirting boards. Photo / Supplied
The property, which the previous owner had shipped to Waiheke from Hawke’s Bay, was in an incomplete state.
It was perched atop a hillside site on Sea View Road, in Onetangi, and while work had started on the decks, there was no plumbing and the house had been stripped back to its framing.
“We took over the two building consents but we couldn’t move in – the house wasn’t liveable,” said Brian.
There was no shower or toilet or kitchen, and Claire said she was in a panic when she first saw it. “It took about six months to get it ready,” she said.
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“I could see the spaces could be beautiful, but it was a bit overwhelming. Brian is a good talker, but I took a bit of convincing.”
The Taupō couple, who are experienced renovators, wanted to be close to their grown-up kids and liked the idea of island living.
“An island is a novelty in itself, and this has proximity to the city,” Brian said.
The couple declined to say how much the project has cost them – both in time and money. OneRoof records do not show what the property changed hands for when they bought it, and the $1.9m RV was taken a year into the renovation.
Brian reckons he’s got one or two more projects in him before he calls it a day. Claire’s regret is that she will not see the extensive gardens she planted grow to maturity.
Just along the road, a 5ha plot of land and a four-bedroom replica villa on 8ha are also for sale at 1F and 123 Sea View Road. Photo / Supplied
To transform Lady Hastings, tradesman Brian worked on the tools and with qualified tradies while Claire concentrated on the garden and landscaping. They had negotiated a long settlement but took possession early so they could start working straight away.
Covid lockdowns in 2020 and again in 2021 were spanners in the works as was the spike in building costs during the period.
The couple rearranged the internal floor plan to give the rooms more space and installed nine French windows around the house.
Their friends’ kitchen business, KBS, milled rimu from the villa’s original skirting boards to make the kitchen while the striking stained-glass windows in the front porches were a lucky barn find by the previous owner.
The final touch was the swimming pool and poolhouse, which have been a big hit with the grandchildren.
Bayleys agent Mana Tahapehi said this part of Onetangi valley was popular with locals “wanting a bit more land and a bit more distance from their neighbours. For a bit more privacy, people might even give up a little bit of sea view”.
He declined to indicate the expected price range for the home but did say that “properties in the $2m to $4m price bracket have gained traction”.
By coincidence, two other adjoining properties on Sea View Road are also on the market. A five-hectare bare paddock nearly next door to Lady Hastings at 1F Sea View Road, is being marketed by Matthew Smith of Ray White with an asking price of $1.995m. It can be bought separately or with an adjoining four-bedroom house on 8.12ha at 123 Sea View Road, that is asking $5.995m, Smith said in his marketing.
- 363 Sea View Road, Onetangi, Waiheke Island, is for sale, tender closing March 25
