The British family whose heart was stolen by Devonport

Helen Jacobs, a longtime New Zealand enthusiast, spent a lot of time singing her praises to her son and husband before they finally agreed to visit him. Her husband now calls her the most beautiful place in the world.

The connection began when Helen met a Kiwi during her first job after college in England. In 1995, she went for the first time to this land, which she now calls her second home.

It was during a visit to this same friend, while they were walking on Devonport Beach, that they came across a 1915 transition villa for sale. Helen and her husband had no intention of buying in New Zealand, but they soon realized that they could not say no to this rare find. "We could not let the house in. There were so many things we liked about it and the location checked so many boxes that we would have been stupid not to do it," says Helen.

READ MORE:
* The conversion of Devonport Church comes with the guest house
* Inside the Maggie Barry waterfront home

The house had a large garden that had already been landscaped and included a pool. This gave Helen a head start on the renovation work being done on the other side of the world, working about 12 hours later to liaise with designers and craftspeople. "Once the structural elements of the renovation were put in place, I found Trinity Interior Design who had the vision to see the end result of what I wanted from home." They did a planning job unbelievable on layouts and permits things to progress at a steady pace. "

The couple bought the house two years ago. Previous owners have operated it as an upscale bed and breakfast while living in a separate apartment on the upper floor. The house was in good condition but, as Helen says: "What we really wanted was that the house be a family home for us."

For the couple, it was important to call on local businesses for the renovations, using the services of architectural designer Fraser Gillies and Trinity Interior Design. Helen says that she has never seen a team of people working so hard.

As with many renovations, the work was bigger than expected. "A lot of the problems were hidden and in the end we were very happy, we wanted to completely renovate the property in its entirety and we did not want any more problems in the future."

One of the major problems was that a rear extension had been built in the 1990s without consent. It had to be redrawn by Fraser. New consents were then requested and then rebuilt.

Helen was also dismayed at the laundry. "I was pretty horrified by the toilet next to the washing machine." It was quickly replaced by a water room and a separate laundry room.

The main part of the house was in good condition. The apartment was decommissioned by replacing the kitchen with a bathroom and reconfiguring the rooms to incorporate the spaces in the main house.

Helen was delighted that many of the accessories removed from the house had not been landfilled. "We recycled a lot of what we already had in the house, donated what we could not use and sold both kitchens."

After the time and effort devoted to preserving the original atmosphere of the house, Helen now has a huge sentimental value, even if she lives half the year on the other side of the world .

The house has parallels with the couple's hometown in northwestern England and overlooks the sea of ​​Ireland. Devonport and its coastal village in the UK are both small communities of similar size, with boutique homes just steps from local restaurants. "We have found that most of the things we love about us in England are similar to Devonport."

When they spent their first night in their newly renovated home, Helen said that she felt dazzled to see a cruise liner pass in front of the bedroom window.

In addition to their secluded main bedroom, Helen loves cooking. "One of my favorite things is the cook, so many Christmas day trauma means you do not have enough space to cook everything, you can not get a ham, a turkey, and potatoes." But this Christmas, I had some.

The family spends as much time as possible in New Zealand and can not wait to ski this winter. While their son is still in high school, they do not plan to settle here permanently. But is this a plan for the future? It is most certainly.

Q & A

Best seat of the house: On the veranda on the floor overlooking the harbor. There is always something to see.

Best decoration advice: Check the paint with the lights on, especially the ceiling lights.

Best budget advice: Do not even consider it unless you have the budget. These old houses will always reveal hidden villains.

Best labor saving device: To make a renovation like this, there could be no device to save work.

The biggest renovation regret: No. I've always followed the advice of the experts.

Worst moment in the garden: When my husband sliced ​​the watering system by planting beautiful hydrangeas, I had been gifted.

What I want to change next around the house: The wall at the front of the house, which is not in working order. But we have to give a break to our lovely neighbors.

Favorite local restaurant: Corelli is for breakfast.

Best place for a coffee: Vondel.

Favorite local store: Nest on Vauxhall Road.

Helen Jacobs