Gas Fireplace Renovation in Auckland

A room with a view is something many homebuyers aspire to – and, when it’s the glorious Hauraki Gulf to Rangitoto and beyond, who could want for anything more? The suburbs around Auckland’s Tamaki Drive boast many properties that capture this stunning outlook.  
A Kohimarama home that was the focus of a recent project handled by Refresh Renovations specialist Jim Gleeson and his team, led by project manager Paul Wood, is perhaps typical. Built in the 1990s it was in need of an update; the resulting transformation has given it the style and flair to match the view and ensure it is fit for the next 20 years.

The house renovation

Jim says the brief was to modernise the house, replace some ageing items and check out a couple of leaks, “The house has been extended and renovated over the years but the overall condition was tidy.”
Working to a budget of around $80K, the brief for Stage 1 included full paint and carpet throughout, an upgrade of all lighting to LED, window furnishings, and a rework of a lounge wall to include modern shelving and enable installation of the piece de resistance – a new schist fireplace. The existing fireplace was carefully removed for later resale. “The owners have wonderful design flair and knew exactly what they wanted,” says Jim. “There were very few changes made to the original brief and once the job began it was pretty straightforward.” This first stage of what is planned to be a three-stage process, was completed in just five weeks.

Home maintenance

Most of the project was standard maintenance using standard materials, says Jim. 10mm standard GIB wall linings; Villaboard lining for the firebox; Resene SpaceCote low sheen in variances of alabaster and  Resene Ceiling white were used throughout the entire interior during this stage of the project.
The centre-piece fireplace however is something special. This was built using Craftstone Coromandel Green Schist and incorporates an Escea DL1100 gas fireplace with titanium silver fascia, chosen for its 5 star efficiency and smart control connectivity. But, in an otherwise straightforward project, installation proved to be something of a challenge. “It involved modifying the pelmet in the lounge and reworking the fireplace to fit the schist panels. We had to work around and incorporate structural elements from a previous extension.” It was well worth the effort and, along with the dramatic floating Wenge timber shelves, is a feature that has delighted the homeowners.

The benefits of working with a Refresh Renovations franchise

So why choose Refresh Renovations? The homeowners explain they did a lot of online research before narrowing down potential renovation specialists to four. “We spoke to each of them at the house and liked Refresh’s professionalism and well-organised plan. Jim was very knowledgeable and made some good suggestions. We also like the way they could make an immediate start whereas other companies we’d identified didn’t seem too bothered whether they got the business or not.”

We’d recommend Refresh Renovations to anyone and we will certainly use them again in the future
The owners chose to live in while the renovation was in progress and a real plus for them was knowing what was happening, and when, through the Refresh process. This makes it easy to follow and see when each segment of work was starting and finishing and what still needed to be completed. “The communication throughout the job was excellent and we found Paul a real pleasure to work with. The whole team was a very friendly and polite bunch that was tidy and respectful. If there was anything we weren’t satisfied with or wanted to change they quickly, and without fuss, got it done.”
“We’d recommend Refresh Renovations to anyone and we will certainly use them again in the future.”

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