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Kitchen Renovation Torbay Auckland
Torbay Kitchen Renovation: Heritage Meets Modern Function
There’s a special challenge in renovating kitchens in character homes: how to introduce contemporary functionality while honoring architectural elements that give the home its distinctive personality. For Shona Hutchinson and Ken Beguely, their Torbay home featured beautiful rimu bulkheads, stained glass windows, and other heritage details that needed to be respected while transforming their dated, impractical kitchen into a space that would meet modern cooking and entertaining needs.
A Kitchen That Had Served Its Time
“Before the renovation, the kitchen was showing its age, as the original kitchen installed when the house was built,” explains Pete from Build Unlimited. “A lot of wasted space that was not functional meant the existing kitchen had limited practical storage space.”
This combination of aged finishes and inefficient layout had created a kitchen that no longer served Shona and Ken’s lifestyle. Pass-through openings that didn’t function as proper breakfast bars, hard-to-reach corner cabinets, and outdated fixtures made daily cooking more challenging than it needed to be. Yet the kitchen resided within a home with character features that the owners cherished and wanted to preserve, creating the perfect scenario for a thoughtful, detailed renovation rather than a complete overhaul.
Protecting the Precious While Updating the Practical
The renovation began with careful preparation to protect the home’s distinctive features. “We used our Zipwall dust barrier system to seal off the work area and prevent dust from entering the rest of the home, protecting expensive chandeliers and stained glass windows from dust,” Pete notes. This attention to protecting existing features demonstrated Build Unlimited’s understanding that renovating is about more than just the area being updated; it’s about safeguarding the entire home throughout the process.
With protections in place, the team stripped the existing kitchen back to the framing, creating a clean slate for rewiring and plumbing alterations. This “back to bones” approach allowed for a complete rethinking of the kitchen’s infrastructure before new walls were lined and prepared for cabinetry installation.
Navigating Architectural Challenges
The kitchen’s second-floor location and the home’s distinctive features created several unique challenges that required creative problem-solving.
“Getting the new cabinetry to line up with the existing bulkhead and sourcing new timber to match the existing was challenging,” Pete explains. “It was important that the new kitchen surround timber matched the existing rimu perfectly, since it was such a feature throughout the entire home.”
The distinctive bay window, a charming architectural element, presented its own set of challenges. “Getting the new benchtop to work with the bay window caused a few issues,” Pete notes. “The old benchtop was just hanging out with no support at all, and the new stone benchtop required additional support installed and required us to lower the timber framing to ensure the top of the benchtop worked with the existing windows.”
Even the logistics of bringing materials into the space required careful planning. “It was challenging to get the new stone benchtops up to the second level where the kitchen is,” Pete recalls. “The narrow stairway with stained glass windows posed some challenges to ensure we didn’t damage anything getting the benchtops into place.”
These challenges exemplify the often-invisible complexities of renovation work in character homes it’s not just about installing new elements but integrating them seamlessly with existing architecture in ways that appear effortless in the finished space
Smart Solutions for Modern Living
Throughout the renovation, Build Unlimited focused on solutions that would maximize functionality within the existing space constraints.
“We recessed the new larger fridge into the wall so that it lined up with the existing bulkhead and provided as much room as possible in the tight kitchen space,” Pete explains. This approach literally creating space within the walls, allowed for a more substantial refrigerator without compromising traffic flow in the kitchen.
Storage solutions were carefully considered to eliminate the wasted space that had plagued the original kitchen. “The new kitchen addresses those issues,” Pete notes. “Having a full-height pantry with pull-out shelves helps to get the things right at the back with ease.” This simple but significant improvement eliminates the common frustration of items disappearing into inaccessible corners, never to be found again until the next renovation.
The transformation of the pass-through opening into a proper breakfast bar exemplifies the functional improvements throughout the kitchen. “The increased bar opening into the dining space provides a functional breakfast bar the clients can actually use,” Pete explains. “The old opening was just a pass-through space, so the new dedicated breakfast bar provides practical use for the space while providing additional bench space when entertaining.”
These thoughtful adjustments collectively transformed the kitchen from a space that merely looked like a kitchen to one that truly functions as the heart of the home.
Illuminating Details
Lighting plays a crucial role in both the function and ambiance of contemporary kitchens, and the Torbay renovation incorporated several lighting innovations that enhanced both aspects.
“LED strip lighting above the hob and inside the cabinetry provides task lighting, making it easier to find items in the cupboards and while cooking,” Pete explains. These strategic lighting placements illuminate workspaces precisely where needed without flooding the entire room with harsh overhead lighting.
To maintain consistency with the home’s existing electrical features, the team selected fixtures that would complement rather than clash with the established style. “We used PDL iconic switch gear to match the rest of the home,” Pete notes, another small but significant detail that helps the new kitchen feel like an organic part of the home rather than an obviously renovated space.
A Partnership Built on Communication
For Shona and Ken, the renovation process was as important as the finished kitchen. Having their home under construction, particularly in a central space like the kitchen, can be disruptive, but Build Unlimited’s approach minimized stress and maximized involvement.
“We used Build Unlimited for our kitchen renovation. The project management was excellent and met all timelines,” Shona and Ken shared after the project’s completion. “Loved the protection that was installed to segregate off the rest of the house; this ensured that no dust permeated throughout.”
The couple particularly appreciated Build Unlimited’s flexibility in accommodating evolving ideas throughout the renovation. “Pete was on hand to discuss the many variations that we requested and went over and above to accommodate us,” they noted, highlighting the responsive communication that transforms the renovation experience from potentially stressful to genuinely collaborative.
This willingness to adapt to client preferences while maintaining the project timeline demonstrates the balance of structure and flexibility that defines Build Unlimited’s approach. Plans provide the essential framework, but within that framework, there’s room for the project to evolve as clients see their space taking shape and refine their vision.
A Kitchen Transformed
When the renovation was complete, Shona and Ken had a kitchen that honored their home’s character while providing all the functionality and aesthetic appeal of a contemporary cooking space.
The rimu bulkheads remained a distinctive feature, now complemented by new timber elements that matched so perfectly they appeared original to the home. The bay window, now properly supported, continued to provide natural light and architectural interest while functioning as a practical part of the food preparation area. Stone benchtops added durability and visual appeal, while the recessed refrigerator and full-height pantry maximized storage and accessibility.
For Shona and Ken, the result was so successful that recommending Build Unlimited became easy. “Excellent building, tidy, professional, and extremely competent,” they shared. “Highly recommended, and very comfortable to talk to potential clients.”
This willingness to serve as references speaks volumes about not just the quality of the finished kitchen but the entire renovation experience, from the careful protection of existing features to the responsive communication throughout the project.
For Build Unlimited, the Torbay kitchen stands as an example of their ability to navigate the unique challenges of character home renovations, finding the sweet spot where heritage elements and modern functionality come together to create spaces that honor the past while serving present needs.
The Details
When the renovation was complete, Shona and Ken had a kitchen that honored their home’s character while providing all the functionality and aesthetic appeal of a contemporary cooking space.
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