BEFOREMEET+GREET
AimeeFleurYoung, 40(managerata legal
practiceandbloggerat@justcallmeplantlady),
ReeceYoung, 39(operationsmanagerat
Triumph& Disaster),Heidi, 10,andSaskia, 7, plus
black Labrador Diesel and guinea pig Rosie.T
herealestateadmay
aswellhaveread:
“1960shomeforsalein
Swanson,Auckland;
onlyonepreviousowner.
Twobedrooms,sixtypes
ofmismatchedflooring
andlashingsofyellow,
beigeandbrown.Notonestraightwallbut
solidkitchenandbathroom.Outdatedbutwill
makea greatfamilyhomeif newownershave
imaginationanda strongworkethic.”
EnterAimeeFleurandReeceYoung,
lookingfortheirfirsthomeandarmedwith
therequiredvisiontoturnthelittlebrick
housearound.Whattheydidn’tquite
envisage,though,wasthatit wouldtakethem
a decadetocomplete– andinthemeantime,
thehousewouldseethemthrougha wedding
andthearrivaloftwodaughters.
Whattheydidseewasa blankcanvasin
a handylocation,witha largeflatsection,all-
daysunandprivacy,large rooms and tons of
spaceforstorage.THEPLAN
Formanyfirst-homebuyers,thehousewould
havebeendaunting.“Everythingaboutit
neededwork,”saysAimee.“Therewasnot
a singlefence,allthewindowshadtobe
replaced,therewasnooutdoorliving,andthe
floorplanwasdisjointed.”However,whilethe
kitchenandbathroomwereold,theywere
functional,meaningAimeeandReececould
happilyliveinthehouseandtaketheirtime
decidingwhattheywantedtodoandinwhat
order,whentimeandcash-flowpermitted.
Theystartedworkonthelandscaping
first,levellingoutthelawn,fencingthe
section,plantingtreesandbuildingpathsand
retainingwalls.Concretewaslaidtocreate
a largeoutdoorentertainingareaaswellas
increasetheiroff-streetparking.Throughout
the10-yearreno,thecoupledidasmuchof
theworkthemselvesastheycould,making
useoftheskillsReecehadlearntduringhis
cricketcareerwhenhewouldspendtheoff-
season working in the building industry.yhg| 117M