Light Relief

With a close eye on the budget, an Auckland couple have transformed a compact 1970s do-up into a light, bright and inviting home.

- Fiona Ralph

It took patience and commitment to renovate their home almost entirely by themselves, but Toni and Dane Gale made it work by tackling one room at a time. Although they didn’t make any structural changes to the property in Auckland’s Birkenhead, they reworked everything else in their home over a two-year period. Together, the couple completed the design and the majority of the work, sticking to a limited budget by being “conscientious and crafty”. Having just put the finishing touches on the last room – the kitchen – they’re happily taking a moment to reflect on how far they’ve come.

When did you purchase your home? Toni: We bought our house a little over two years ago. It wasn’t easy and we had many setbacks including disappointing auction losses and skyrocketing prices. When we finally found our soon-to-be home we only walked around it for about 10 minutes. We saw great potential and made an offer the very next day. We wanted to get on the property ladder any way we could, then make it homely by renovating.

Did you start renovating as soon as you moved in? Yes. We moved in on our settlement day and started immediately with minor tasks – tearing down old curtains (which have made the best drop sheets) and removing as many old items as we could.

What did the reno consist of? We have done a full renovation, stripping wallpaper, sanding, plastering, painting, and adding new flooring and window treatments in every room. In the bathroom and kitchen, we have also added tiles and new hardware and appliances. We insulated everywhere we could and added a new heat pump.

Did you have any prior renovating experience? Dane is a residential builder, so he has a lot of experience. I used to help him during my university holidays so I’ve been able to pick up skills along the way.