Based in Cambridge, Mark May and the team at Mark May Villas & Renovation are renowned for their genuine passion for restoring old villas and bungalows, without taking away the character and wonder that first made them such a popular style of home over the last century. That love for historic residences has been demonstrated beautifully here, when in 2020, a client had the opportunity to create a new home on an undeveloped area of a family farm just south of Putaruru.
The challenge was that she had her heart set on a heritage house. “I love the history, the timeless style, the quality of the construction, the timbers used, all the unique special features that characterise a house that was built to last forever,” she says. “ I was struggling to find a builder who was willing to take on my project, as most were much more comfortable with new builds and just couldn’t appreciate what I was wanting.”
After a recommendation from a friend, she gave Mark May Villas & Renovation a call, and soon he and his son Hadleigh were on board, taking a heritage home – that arrived after being cut into three pieces, with the roof removed – and transforming it into a sanctuary to be enjoyed for decades to come.
Taking over two years from the day the home landed on site to completion, elements were sourced and installed throughout the project that include heritage timbers, a new decorative ceiling rose, antique and vintage lighting and even new chimneys. “I had lots of ideas, and being able to collaborate with a builder who has an eye for scale and proportion, a real visual thinker, was a great experience,” says the client of her time spent with Hadleigh, who is particularly proud of the home’s garage, a new build crafted to perfectly align with the home’s aesthetic. “We literally went window shopping,” laughs the expert builder, “and found some incredible old windows and even some ex–school doors that were beautifully worn in.
The client wanted the gardens to grow up around the home and the garage looking like both had always been there, and we achieved that.”
“The collaboration was a pleasure,” says the happy client, with good reason.
“I know they are proud of what they have achieved here, and they should be. The house, the surrounds, are truly my dream come true.”