It’s a rare renovation story that doesn’t include a little drama: epic delays, unexpected discoveries and relationships (professional or personal) under strain. Even within the genre of renovation chronicles, Sarah and Rupert’s story stands out, though you’d never know it to see them now, smiling and happy in their seaside home in Wellington’s Petone, a picture of contentment with their gorgeous baby girl Ruby. There’s no sign of the stressful year just gone, bar the heart motifs throughout the home.
A home with heart
Within salt spray distance of the ocean, on a street full of adorable period homes, this dollhouse-style double-storey villa was an easy sell, and Rupert and Sarah – who both work in real estate and know a special property when they see it – viewed and offered on it immediately. “We brought our friend, who’s a builder, and we looked at it once at 8pm, then bought it that night,” says Sarah.
So far, so straightforward. But where things got complicated
