Home Tours

This 1930s Napier home received a budget DIY makeover

Article by Your Home and Garden

A lot can be achieved with a bit of DIY determination and an eye for economy

Meet & greet

Jayden Winterburn (youth worker/pastry chef), Stephanie Gaudencio (administrator), Nico, six, dogs Keeta and Lady, and Puss the cat.

The property

Renovated 1930s three-bedroom home in Napier.

So often we read about homeowners needing to undertake extensive renovations and expensive overhauls, but when Stephanie Gaudencio and her hubby Jayden found their home, which was hidden down the end of a cul-de-sac close to town in Napier, they knew it wouldn’t take much to make it their dream family home. Even better, Steph’s commitment to doing most of the work herself meant it wouldn’t be a budget-breaker either.

“The house was in really good shape and homely thanks to the family who lived here before us. The bones of the house were great, all it needed was just a little TLC,” says Steph.

That was three years ago. Since then, the gorgeous three-bedroom 1930s character home has been treated to a laundry/toilet renovation, a kitchen reno and a full interior paint job. To save money,

Steph did all the renovations herself. “I’m actually super proud I managed to renovate by myself,” she says. “From putting up wallpaper to cutting holes in the kitchen benchtop for sinks and taps, to tiling an entire wall. I sometimes sit back and think, wow – I actually did that.”

Top priority

First on the list was the laundry/bathroom space. “It already had a toilet and shower but I wanted to make it more cohesive as a laundry and toilet space so I put in new cabinetry, benchtop and shelves,” Steph explains. The result is a well-designed space that’s as pretty as it is practical.

“I love mixing materials so I opted for some chrome accents and touches of gold, like the mirror and handles.” A fast-growing Tradescantia zebrina (inch plant) softens the space and draws the eye up to treasures on the shelving.

Then Steph eyed up the kitchen and its woefully lacklustre layout. “The layout of the kitchen didn’t work at all – the fridge was sitting in front of the window, for one. And the storage space was really lacking, which isn’t convenient in a family home. By moving the benchtop to the other side of the room I managed to get a double pantry, which was a game-changer. Now I love the space.”

Staying on budget

To save money, Steph chose a laminated benchtop. For the oven cove, she bought some pine, then distressed, stained and hung it, cleverly adding both warmth to the kitchen as well as creating an eye-catching feature.

Her advice to others wanting to renovate without breaking the budget is: “Shop around, get quotes, wait for deals and buy secondhand where you can. And if you’re renovating a space and the layout works, save money by not moving any plumbing or electrical work.”

Looking around the peaceful home, it’s clear Steph loves items with a bit of history and a story. All the historical features of the home have been kept and honoured, like the stained glass window in the lounge, the wooden floors throughout, and the French double doors in Steph and Jayden’s room.

“I fell in love with the French double doors the minute I saw them. They are original rimu doors – we freshened them up with some paint and will get around to adding some gold handles one day. We were super lucky as the floors are original rimu and they were in great condition when we moved in. In a couple years we’ll sand back and polish them again as having two dogs running around on them isn’t the best. But it’s worth it – I love watching Nico run with the dogs from one end of the house to the other,” she says.

Thrifted treasure

Painting the interior Resene Quarter Rice Cake lightened the whole house and makes a good backdrop for Steph’s treasures and thrifted finds. The self-confessed bargain hunter always has
her eye out when trawling Facebook Marketplace, Trade Me or local op-shops. Her best find so far has been their dining rooms chairs – “It was $50 for the four of them and they were exactly the style I was looking for.”

On display

Instead of hiding them away in cupboards, Steph prefers to have her favourite items out on display. “I think it’s important to display what’s important to you so you can enjoy it. For example, in our bedroom I have a little display with perfume bottles and a gold rose my brother made – it makes me smile every time I glance at it,” she says.

While the main bedroom has purposely been kept minimal – with both colour and items – Steph encouraged her son to use a colour he loved in his bedroom. “Nico loves his dinosaurs so we went for Resene Flax Green. He helped me paint and we both love the result. Just adding enough for a pop of colour works really well,” she says.

But the detail that garners the most attention from visitors is the Anaglypta wallpaper in the 5.5m-long hallway. It’s one of Steph’s favourite things in the house, too, because of the texture it brings to the space. “I love the big pattern and the slightly vintage feel to it. It’s great because you can paint on top of it, which I did with Resene Quarter Rice Cake.”

The other feature that has visitors oohing and ahhing is the double doors in the lounge that open up to allow access to the beautiful pool outside.

“Summers are so good in this house. Being able to have friends and family around for homemade pizzas and swims, or even when it’s just us and I’m sitting by the pool in the sun, reading a book while Nico splashes about in the pool,” says Steph. “We feel really lucky to call this home.”