PROJECT SPOTLIGHT: Richmond Road, Grey Lynn, Auckland

Rebuilding a traditional showhome

When it came to transforming a unique Grey Lynn home, interior designer Helen Wilcock, needed a competent building partner who shared her meticulous attention to detail.

Built in 1938 as a Winstone Brick showhome, the rebuild required a careful approach to maintain the unique style of the house and property. It involved substantial internal repair work, extensive brickwork, special framing to tie the brick to the structure, demolition of the old garage to make way for a studio, the reconstruction of a laundry shed, a deck addition, and landscaping the garden walls and front fence.

While keeping the original internal layout, we added a little more room in the living area, built a loggia roof with a louvre system over a new outdoor fireplace and deck. In the new studio, we installed all new skirtings, scotia and timber trims to mirror the age and aesthetic of the property.

This was a really fun challenge for the Woodsmith team. The result is a warm, modern and efficient home with great indoor-outdoor flow that maintains its original charm and unique qualities.

Architect: Jones Architects
Interior Designer: Helen Wilcock, Design Spec

What Helen says

I chose Woodsmith because they had done work for friends of mine and came highly recommended, and I’m pleased that I did!

I had total faith in Woodsmith from start to finish. It was a big project that was completed with no delays and no surprise costs.

Mike runs a tight ship, he’s honest and his communication is excellent - he'll take my call even now and get things sorted.

I appreciated Mike’s regular presence on-site and his focus on getting every detail right.

These old houses can be difficult to work with but the Woodsmith team demonstrated their technical expertise any time an issue popped up along the way.

There were some precise measurements in the bathroom that left little room for error yet they got everything fitting perfectly.

They also took the time to work through different ways we could do the scotia and did a fantastic job patching part of the old floor, which you don't even notice now.

Even out of sight, up in the attic, they gave me a decent floor to work with.

Mike was always available for site-checks with the council and got everything sorted really quickly so we could get sign-off.

He’s got a great team too, very easy to deal with. It felt like they all enjoyed the job and were invested in it.

I'm really happy. It’s a quality build and I love every aspect of my home - there isn't one thing that I would change.