Jerome and Angela McKeefry have just finished a major renovation of their hilltop Ōwhiro Bay home, which included double glazing, reroofing and creating an all-weather outdoor room.
Home Profile
Meet & Greet: Jerome and Angela McKeefry and their adult children, Lochie and Esme.
The Property: A renovated home in Ōwhiro Bay
An instant change
The McKeefrys noticed a marked difference on the first night the new Vantage ThermalHeart+ windows and sliding doors with Solux Ultra glass were put in on the house they’ve lived in for 24 years. “I thought the kids had left the heat pump on,” says Jerome. Angela thought the same.
The sub-floor is concrete and the house heats with the sun, the passive heating meant “you feel like you’re in the tropics” some days.
“But on a cold day, you could feel the chill coming through the glass, so that was one of our main focuses on the renovation,” says Jerome.
And there is a lot of glass in the five-bedroom, three-level home. Open the door to the house on the top floor and you’re greeted by a three-level fixed glass atrium that looks out to the bay, with views across to the South Island and the Kaikōura Ranges on a clear day.
Getting the big jobs done
Because scaffolding needed to be erected to replace the windows, they also took the opportunity to reroof.
They also replaced the deck, created an outdoor pergola, put an outdoor fireplace in, radiant heaters and electric outdoor blinds to become an outdoor all-weather living space.
“Of course you can’t stop with just that. We had to go get a pizza oven, so now we light the fire, have the heaters and pizza oven going and it’s beautiful to sit out there in the warmth in winter and have that view.”
A good investment
As a property valuer, Jerome is confident that, while the Wellington market isn’t good at the moment, if they ever decide to sell, people are still prepared to pay for quality.
“If you had a choice between two houses that were similar, one was fitted with windows and doors with better thermal performance and one wasn’t, which would you choose? The answer is quite obvious. It adds value, but it also makes your property more saleable.”
However, they plan on staying put for some time to come. “It feels like a brand new house and we couldn’t be happier here.”
See more of this home at vantage.co.nz/glass-act
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