What we’re working with

(Gosh, I love a good alliteration in the title. It’s probably now that I should tell you that in my other life, I’m an English and Classics teacher, so expect a few puns, alliterations and metaphors!)

We bought our house in mid-2016. We’d been on the hunt for the right house for a while, but there were also obstacles…mostly, the price tag. Dunedin is a really affordable city as far as housing goes (and I know Aucklanders would cringe if they knew what we’d paid for our house) but our budget didn’t stretch very far.

My husband went to the open home for this house without me. From the pictures, I absolutely hated it. It was small, outdated and green. He finally convinced me to have a look at it, and arranged a private viewing.

When I went to see it, I hated it even more. It needed a lot of work, and I wasn’t convinced that we would get the investment back if we renovated it. It was only 80m2 but, the property it was on was over 800m2. There was potential, I was assured. The location was good, the property was huge, and we were ambitious. We could do it.

I caved.

So, this is what we’re working with:

The house was built in 1925 and the south side has the original features – ornate ceilings, open fire, wooden floors and lead lights. The south side is my happy place.

In the 90s, the owners decided to do some renovations and opened up the north side of the house. It is now light and open and captures the sun beautifully. The view from the living room doors is spectacular. But since the 90s, nothing has been done to it.

Our job is to now modernize this home. I’m determined to keep the original features, where possible and make sure we use every inch of this small home to its potential.