Building a contemporary living space into an historic old home is never an easy prospect – it’s often a lot more work than a new-build. But architectural designer Kyle Ramsay knew the potential when his clients asked him to take on an 1860s New Plymouth weatherboard villa complete with double verandah.

“One of the nice things about our clients,” says Ramsay, “is that when they purchased this house, there was a developer who was going to purchase it and tear it down. That would have been a great shame – it’s a prominent house on a prominent site.”

The house received a comprehensive overhaul. Original brick chimneys had to come down and the entire interior was stripped out. “We reinsulated the place, relined it, strengthened it up to current code,” says Ramsay. The result is light, airy and elegant, contemporary with a hint of the old world. A piece of history saved, and life breathed back into it.

Dealing with a 160-year-old building came with its own set of challenges, requiring a pragmatic, sensitive approach that focussed on the fundamentals of making the house fit for purpose. “You come in with these really lofty and grand ambitions.” he says. “They’re not profound things – it can be the smallest of things. And sometimes you’ve just got to learn to let things go.”

Eyes are the windows to the soul, and windows are the eyes of a house. From the outside they are the face of a house, and from the inside of this house they are the view into neighbouring Pukekura Park, over a bubbling stream and through beautiful native trees. Klima uPVC windows and doors proved the perfect solution to replace a patchwork of unoriginal frames. Cost effective, the profile and proportions suit the house and mean there’s no need to worry about maintaining them every few years.

From the outside, they read as new timber windows – and they’re detailed as such too. “We had to do a lot of reframing of the reveals anyway, and everything on the outside, and we’ve kept that timber as well,” says Ramsay. The snowfall in Taranaki isn’t just pretty: it gets cold in these parts and the double-glazed Klima products perform well thermally; when combined with central heating throughout, the house now maintains 21st-century levels of comfort.

The deck extension on top of the new garage is entirely contemporary in style but tactfully complements the rest of the house with its simplicity, pergola and outdoor fireplace for entertaining – it’s reached from the kitchen-dining area through an enormous set of APL Architectural Series bifold doors from Altherm. “The old building is spectacular,” says Ramsay. “So, it was about making the new part feel like it’s meant to be here – and complementary to the building proportionally.”

The result: a magnificent, historic family home now ready for a long future.


Listen to the podcast episode with the architect


Manufacturer: Altherm Taranaki

Architect: KR Architect