After six months of searching, property developers Daniel and Kate found exactly what they were looking for: a 1900’s Villa with good bones on a flat section in a great location in Sandringham.

The initial plan was to simply add a four metre lean-to extension to the rear of the house, but that soon changed. Daniel and Kate did a major on it; half of the existing house was removed and what remained was completely gutted. All the rooms are meticulously finished and the styling is modern yet respects all the traditional features of the home.

In keeping with tradition, Daniel and Kate chose a dark grey and white exterior colour scheme with Dulux Maraetai for the weatherboards and Dulux Classic Vivid White for the frames and trim. Colorsteel Grey Friars roofing and matching Marley Typhoon spouting and RP80 downpipes completed the picture stylishly.

“We went with Marley because of their wide range of styles and colours. We particularly liked the fact that Marley Typhoon gives you the option of internal brackets. They not only look great but also suit the character of the Villa,” said Daniel.

Daniel and Kate are also early adopters of the innovative new rain harvesting product, Marley Twist. It’s a compact rainwater diverter that turns a downpipe into a free source of water for watering the garden, topping up the pool, general cleaning or emergency use.

Twist can be easily installed on existing or new PVC downpipes and can quick connect to a collection tank via any standard garden hose fitting. A simple “twist” on-off control lets homeowners access rainwater from the downpipe as and when they need it. Twist is designed to connect a single downpipe to a small collection tank of up to 1,000 litres, however Daniel and Kate have opted for a handy 300L tank.

Even though Daniel and Kate have laboured for eight months to build a wonderfully luxurious and almost completely new family home, they’re certainly not precious about it. The kids are free to use the long hallway as a racetrack on their bikes and roller skates and just be kids.