PHOTO: HELEN BANKERSYOUR HOME AND GARDEN/ BAUER MEDIA When Annelies and Ben Leitch first saw their one-acre property in the north Auckland suburb of Whenuapai,they saw an opportunity to create the family home and expansive outdoor area of their dreams.
When Annelies and Ben Leitch first saw their one-acre property in the north Auckland suburb of Whenuapai, they didn’t see a rundown weatherboard house with tacked-on addition and out-of-date kitchen and bathroom. Instead, they saw an opportunity to create the family home and expansive outdoor area of their dreams.
“It was untouched,” says Annelies. “The house was a deceased estate, the previous owner built it and lived in it for 50 years without doing anything except a small add-on at the back for his mum. We loved the land and the location, as Ben grew up in the area.”
Once the house was theirs, the couple lived in it for eight months without changing anything. They wanted to experience an entire summer there before planning any renovations. By the end of summer 2015, the Leitches had a pretty good idea of what the house needed.
“We wanted a big indoor-outdoor area with a fireplace and covered area that connected with the kitchen,” Annalies says. “We had something similar at our old house and spent all our time out there so we wanted the same thing here, but on a larger scale.
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