An impressive home renovation won the Smith and Sons Franklin team the renovation of the year award in 2020 and they have since gone on to multiple awards.
Lane and Melissa van den Brink and their team turned this 1990s house into a brand new dream home for their client, who are now empty nesters and could concentrate on opening up their living space.
The existing internal layout didn’t work for their lifestyle and was also dated, but the end result you see here is anything but.
“We moved through our process with the home owners and ended up with a design that was far more modern and had everything they wanted and needed.”
Lane said it was an interesting first site meeting with his clients, with a Lego model used to show the Smith & Sons team exactly what they wanted with the layout.
“The new design included extending the kitchen slightly and knocking out a few walls so they could have an open plan family space, with a separate formal living room.”
The two spaces are divided by a ‘one of a kind’ country barn door to give the house a true rural feeling. The door sits flush between two walls when fully open, and you wouldn’t even realise that it was there.
A new fireplace was installed in the dining room to give the clients not only another heating option but also an extra cosy feeling of warmth throughout the living areas.
Melissa said timber look tiles have been used for the flooring which also adds warmth to this section of the home.
“We updated the main bathroom to a dramatic monochromatic style. The bold black details of the fittings contrast nicely against the natural tones of the floor and full height wall tiles. The timber feature on the vanity softens the striking room but maintains the drama of the monochrome colour scheme,” she said.
The master bedroom received a new walk-in-wardrobe that is every women’s dream – with plenty of space, and this was designed and installed by Kitchen Inspirations. A new larger ensuite was created for the master bedroom by combining the existing ensuite and walk-in-wardrobe.
“The new ensuite is also monochromatic in design like the main bathroom, but with the added bonus of a double basin vanity, and a large shower with twin shower heads.”
It also has stippolyte (frosted) windows, with the translucent glass allowing both natural light and the colours of nature to come through.
Melissa said all bedrooms were updated with new carpet and a fresh coat of paint. Black hardware was added throughout the entire house, and all joinery was replaced with new double glazed aluminium joinery in the colour matt ‘ironsand.’
The kitchen and scullery were also custom designed by Kitchen Inspirations.
With sleek black cabinetry and timber look accents, an engineered stone top and island bench for additional counter space and a breakfast bar at the end, it was finished off with a ‘matte black’ subway tiles splashback.
“The scullery is tucked away as a workable area that the client can create all the mess that comes with hosting, and hide it away until they are ready to deal to it.”
It’s an entertainer’s paradise, with all of the appliances chosen personally by the clients – including a adouble wall oven and a wine fridge.
Moving outside, the entertaining features continue, with all of the outdoor areas fitted with Louvretech systems on the verandah roof, and a large outdoor fireplace has also been added for those cold nights.
Lane and Melissa purchased the Smith & Sons franchise nine years ago, and use a simple 3-step process to support you through the entire renovation projects – from design to building completion.
Lane is a qualified, licenced builder who leads a team with the local knowledge and building experience to do a great job working on your home. Their strong planning, project management and problem solving skills will help keep your renovation on time and on budget.
“We enjoy the renovation market for seeing the joy that people get from liking their house, and where they live, and turning that into a love for their home again,” Melissa said.
Smith & Sons Franklin can help with all kinds of house alterations and extensions – from bathroom and kitchen renovations, garage conversions or minor dwellings through to total home makeovers. Our skilled team can also carry out exterior recladding, construct great outdoor living areas or handle your new build project from start to finish.
Based in Pukekohe Smith & Sons are proud to renovate homes in the Greater Counties Manukau area.