6 October, 2021

Massive repair bill for waterfront villa

An estimated $1.3 million is needed to refurbish an empty waterfront home owned by Auckland Council.

The Flagstaff revealed in January that 55 King Edward Pde, which had been empty for more than a year, would remain so as the cash- strapped council lacked funds to fix a number of building issues.

Two other multimillion-dollar council-owned properties at 52 and 56 King Edward Pde are tenanted, but 55 remains vacant.

A condition assessment and renewal survey conducted in May/June by heritage architects Salmond Reed found while the house was generally sound the estimated cost of repair was $1,297,372. This included landscaping, work on a garage and outbuildings and the demolition and removal of others.

The villa was most likely built pre-1890, the report said.

The roof and foundations were in good condition.

The worst parts of the building appeared to be “very poor” bathroom and kitchen hardware, fixtures and fittings, and the window frames and wall linings, according to the assessment.

Estimated costs included $120,000 in architects’ fees, $150,000 to reconfigure layouts,

$250,000 for refurbishment and painting inside and out, $40,000 for a kitchen and laundry and $25,000 for a bathroom.

Council said last week that while the report had been commissioned, it still had insufficient funds to repair the building.

Nor did it plan to sell the house.

The three houses are in a sought-after position across the road from Torpedo Bay beach. They back onto Devonport Domain.