PHOTO Alan Bulleyment, Donna Blaber

The New Zealand villas are nostalgic part of our housing landscape. The villas became the favoured design for new houses during the 1880s being built with expansive verandas, cast iron fretwork and decorative wood elements. The first villas were simple form but they grew in complexity and decoration while the construction industry developed and started to respond to consumers' demands. 

Today, the old villas are a big part of the building industry and many of them are renovated to meet the needs of a modern lifestyle. If you are a villa owner continue to read the article about how to renovate a classic New Zealand villa.