- Peter and Robyn Fuller renovated a run-down villa they bought 18 years ago near West Auckland.
- The villa, originally from Ponsonby, was built in 1910 by Michael and Margaret O’Sullivan.
- The Fullers transformed the property, adding features like a barn, swimming pool, and play areas.
When Peter and Robyn Fuller bought a run-down villa on the outskirts of West Auckland, their agent told them they had been the only buyers to get out of the car and look at the house.
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But the Fullers were looking for a challenge. “As soon as we saw it, we said, ‘Yeah, that’s us’,” Peter told OneRoof, of the property the couple bought 18 years ago.
“It had an old green and pink flowery Axminster carpet, peeling wallpaper, a leaky roof, and a shockingly built extension. Our parents and friends thought we were crazy, but we bought it anyway.”
The villa had been relocated from Ponsonby in the early 1990s, but by 2006 was in need of major work. Photo / Supplied
The current owners restored the villa, and added a pool, a barn, and a studio house. Photo / Supplied
How the villa ended up in the countryside between Taupaki and Massey is another story, but five years into their renovation, the Fullers were paid a surprise visit by an elderly couple.
“An elderly lady came off the road and asked if she could show her husband around. She said she had lived in the villa as a child, when it was on Richmond Road in Ponsonby,” Robyn told OneRoof.
The Fullers understand the house was shifted to their country plot in 1993, but little had been done to it in the intervening years until they bought the property.
They were thrilled to learn that there was a plaque on the site where the old house sat, which is now part of Browns Park. It said the villa was built by Irish couple Michael and Margaret O’Sullivan in 1910 and was home to multiple generations of the family before the city acquired the land for the park.
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Peter estimated they had spent 15 years bringing the home up to scratch. When they moved in they had a six-month-old, a two-year-old, and five older kids, aged between eight and 12.
“The kids thought it was cool. They were allowed to draw on the walls, play in the attic, help with the demolition, and climb through the new walls while we rebuilt.”
The couple found the original mantelpieces under the house but had difficulty sourcing sash windows and other original features. “Windows, doors, anything we were on the scrounge. Back then it was easy to come by, but towards the end we had problems finding the original six-inch floor boards,” Peter said.
“Robyn was working, we had the kids in daycare, we worked evenings and weekends – probably until 2019 actually,” Peter said.
The swimming pool was added towards the end of the renovation. Photo/Supplied
The owners added a flying fox and nearly 2km of bush tracks in the nearly 4ha property. Photo/Supplied
The before-photos show an old lean-to that housed the kitchen, dining room, bathroom and laundry. Peter replaced that and moved the kitchen to the front of the house.
He also added a new bathroom and updated the original. “I don’t want to add up what we spent, I might be scared,” said Peter, who is a builder by trade.
They didn’t stop at the house. They built an American-style barn for Peter’s motorbikes and installed an outdoor swimming pool. Other fun stuff included a flying fox, a giant Tarzan swing, a hidden chicken house, and a golfing platform.
“The kids used to build huts and swings, play in the creek. The Mamatu stream starts from a spring in our property. Two of our daughters got married here,” said Peter.
A plaque in Ponsonby's Brown Reserve details the history of the house. Photo / Supplied
With retirement looming, the Fullers think it is time for a younger family to take over their property.
Ray White agent Nadia Johnston, who is bringing 43 Sunnyvale Road to auction on March 5, told OneRoof: “There are not many lifestyle blocks in Massey and nothing that has all these features. It’s pretty much got everything you want.
“When you walk into the home, you can feel all the amazing memories that have been made in it.”
- 43 Sunnyvale Road, Massey, Auckland, goes to auction on March 5
