Taylor'd Solutions Ltd - Building and Renovations

13/10/2026

Part 6 – Two x 100 year old villas - One ambitious heritage restoration – Complete!

13/10/2026

𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗡𝗘 𝗕𝗔𝗬 𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗧𝗔𝗚𝗘 𝗩𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗔𝗦 | 𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗘𝗗! (𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝟲)
Two villas - One ambitious heritage restoration.

And a lot of work hidden behind the finished result.

When we first started on these two Herne Bay homes, there was no shortage of challenges — hidden structural rot, deteriorated roof timbers, leaking chimneys, outdated plumbing, failing gutters and years of repairs that had to be carefully uncovered and assessed.

But that's what made this project so rewarding.

Across 𝗛𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗛𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗧𝘄𝗼, we've rebuilt and restored the elements that needed saving, reproduced heritage details where required, introduced modern services without compromising the character of the buildings, and future-proofed the homes against the Auckland weather.

We've restored original elements where we could.

Rebuilt what couldn't be saved.

And added modern solutions where they were needed — without losing sight of what makes these homes special.

From the gable ends and handcrafted timber details...

to the bull-nosed roof, restored rotunda, new gutters, rebuilt chimneys and carefully concealed modern services.

The result is two beautiful character homes that retain their heritage while being ready for modern life.

𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘄𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸.

Respect the past.

Build for the future.

𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗡𝗘 𝗕𝗔𝗬 𝗩𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗔𝗦 — 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗱!

A huge thanks to everyone involved in bringing these two Herne Bay villas back to life.

Have a heritage home that needs some attention?

𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗼𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗧𝗮𝘆𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀.

29/09/2026

𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗡𝗘 𝗕𝗔𝗬 𝗩𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗔𝗦 | 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗥𝗢𝗧𝗨𝗡𝗗𝗔 | 𝗔 𝗦𝗠𝗔𝗟𝗟 𝗦𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗖𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗛 𝗔 𝗦𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗬 🧙‍♀️ (𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝟱)
Sometimes it's the smallest parts of a heritage home that make the biggest visual difference.

At House Two, the rotunda needed some serious attention.

The roof was replaced, rotten timber mouldings and posts were reconstructed, and the deck was completely rebuilt.

Then came the detail that really finishes it off... 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗮𝗹.

But… That distinctive spiked feature sitting proudly on top of the rotunda isn't just decorative.

There's a long-standing piece of folklore around spiked and ball-shaped finials on structures such as gazebos, rotundas and gables.
According to the old tales, they were believed to discourage
𝙛𝙡𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙨 🧙‍♀️ 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙩𝙮... 🧙‍♀️

We're happy to report:

𝗡𝗼 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗿𝗼𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮.

More importantly, the rebuilt structure now has the craftsmanship, weather protection and detailing it needs to stand proudly alongside the restored villa.

From rotten timber and a tired roof...

to a completely rebuilt rotunda with a new deck, restored posts and a brand-new finial.

It's another example of why the details matter.

29/09/2026

Part 5 of our recent project carefully restoring two 100 year old villas in Herne Bay.

24/09/2026

𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗡𝗘 𝗕𝗔𝗬 𝗩𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗔𝗦 | 𝗙𝗥𝗢𝗠 𝗥𝗢𝗢𝗙 𝗧𝗢 𝗪𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗛𝗘𝗥-𝗧𝗜𝗚𝗛𝗧 (𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝟰)
A heritage roof needs to look like it belongs on the original home, while also being capable of dealing with the weather for decades to come.

House Two's roof needed a complete transformation.

We removed the existing roof and rebuilt the structure, installing new purlins to straighten the roofline before fitting the new iron roofing and classic bull-nosed sheeting.

But the work wasn't just about what was happening above the house.

We also completely reworked the home's water management.

The internal gutter run-out was redesigned, the gutter capacity was increased and the fall was altered to better manage heavy rainfall.

All exterior plumbing, gutters and downpipes were also replaced, including the new continuous colonial spouting.

It's the kind of work that isn't always obvious when you stand back and admire the finished villa.

But that's the point.

The finished roof should look like it has always belonged there. The upgrades underneath should quietly make sure it keeps doing its job.

And after all the stripping, rebuilding and weatherproofing...
the scaffolding finally started coming down.

Swipe through the transformation.

22/09/2026

𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗡𝗘 𝗕𝗔𝗬 𝗩𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗔𝗦 | 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗗𝗘𝗧𝗔𝗜𝗟𝗦 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗗𝗢𝗡'𝗧 𝗦𝗘𝗘 (𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝟯)
Good heritage restoration isn't just about what you can see.

Sometimes, the best work is the work that's designed to disappear.

Across both homes, our team had to find ways to introduce modern building requirements without compromising the character of these beautiful colonial villas.

One example?

The Air Con.

Modern services aren't exactly part of the original 1800s architecture, so rather than leaving exposed pipework running across the exterior, we designed and built custom timber boxing to conceal the Air Con services and integrate them into the building.

Then there were the details that needed to be recreated rather than simply replaced.

We also installed new skylights over the loggia/outdoor patio area, bringing natural light into the space while upgrading the roof structure around them.

And on House One, we addressed a chimney leak caused by a missing flashing system — fabricating a new flashing cap, repairing the affected plasterwork and ensuring the chimney was properly protected from the weather.

Heritage restoration is about finding that balance:
preserve what makes the home special, while quietly bringing it up to modern standards.

Sometimes the best modernisation is the part you never notice.

22/09/2026

17/09/2026

𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐍𝐄 𝐁𝐀𝐘 𝐕𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐀𝐒 | 𝐆𝐀𝐁𝐋𝐄𝐒 & 𝐂𝐎𝐑𝐁𝐄𝐋𝐒 (𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝟐)
There are some parts of a heritage home that simply can't be replaced with something off the shelf.

The gable ends were one of those areas.

Once the original roof and cladding were stripped away, the extent of the deterioration became clear. Rather than simply replacing everything with new timber, our team carefully dismantled the affected areas and looked at what could be saved and reused.

𝙊𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙮𝙘𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙚, while the sections that had deteriorated beyond repair were reconstructed.

We also fabricated new 𝙘𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙢 𝙛𝙡𝙖𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨to ensure the rebuilt gables would not only look right, but perform properly for years to come.

The original 𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙨 were carefully removed and retained, while additional timber mouldings were custom-made to match the existing heritage detailing across both villas.

It's this combination of old and new that makes heritage restoration so rewarding.

You want the finished work to look like it has always belonged there — but underneath, you need modern construction methods and materials to make sure it lasts.

𝐍𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐮𝐩: 𝐂𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦 𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 & 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐧

15/09/2026

𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐍𝐄 𝐁𝐀𝐘 𝐕𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐀𝐒 | 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐈𝐒𝐂𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐘 (𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝟏) 🛠️

Ever wondered what’s 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 hiding behind the walls of a 100-year-old Herne Bay villa?
Turns out, it can be a "Pretty Big Job!" 😉

We recently worked on two beautiful colonial villas side-by-side in Herne Bay —and Stage One was all about protection, preparation and stripping back to see what we were dealing with.

First came the scaffolding and wrapping, protecting each home while we got stuck into the work.

At House One: we stripped the old shingles and original roof timbers. Once the layers came away, we uncovered significant hidden rot around the gable ends — the result of previous leak repairs that had unfortunately allowed moisture to remain trapped in the structure.

For House Two: We stripped the existing roof and began addressing the exterior plumbing, uncovering more areas that needed attention along the way.

This is one of the realities of working on heritage homes: 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐫𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐮𝐩 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐠𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.

Rather than covering up the problems, we stripped them back, assessed what could be retained, and began the process of rebuilding these homes properly — while preserving as much of their original character as possible.

This was only the beginning. Follow our story to see these beauties revived!

𝐍𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐮𝐩: 𝐫𝐞𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞.

18/06/2026

Out with the old rock wall and weathered wooden fence... In with the sleek modern fence and retaining walls.