From bookends to teddy bears – The Repair Café in Timaru sees a whole host of items through its doors.
“It’s really the same principle as the Repair Shop,” says volunteer and trustee of the Sustainable South Canterbury Trust, Rhys Taylor, referring to the popular UK reality television series.
Read MoreIf you’re looking for a quick way to revamp a room – paint is often the go to solution. Whether it’s painting a feature wall or, as Dorothy did recently, painting a concrete floor – a lick of paint can transform a space. (By the way – a tip from Dorothy – if you are painting a concrete floor make sure you wax it when you finish).
Read MoreFrom the driveway the home of Janice and John Newell looks elegant with its schist stone and timber exterior. Tucked onto a central Rangiora section, the angular looking home has not a single window onto the street front. But looks can be deceptive. Step into the double width entry hall and the house opens out all around you – with its three bedrooms, two living rooms and large open plan kitchen dining area – it feels big.
Read MoreThis is a love story. It’s a story about a man called Chris who set eyes on a woman named Julie many, many moons ago. At the time, he swore that he’d met the girl of his dreams. But the timing wasn’t right. Thirty years passed before the two met again by chance and, then and there amongst the chip packets and ice cream cones of a corner dairy, Chris declared his intention to marry Julie and whisk her away to Paris for their honeymoon. And that’s exactly what he did.
Read MoreWhen Selese Rowe and her partner, Michael, first spotted their two-storey house in Timaru – it was the bedrooms that were the deciding factor. Bringing together a blended family – space was essential. But the location was a close runner up – near to school, the beach and the supermarket.
Read MoreFor many embarking on renovating an old home – there are a lot of unknowns. But for Martin and Anne Stewart who took on a church conversion in Totara Valley – there were also some daunting knowns – like earthquake damage, no running water and the very considerable challenge of transforming the church into a residential building.
Read MoreWhen Karin and Dale Mackay moved into their two-storey, four-bedroom house in Fernside in 2021 – it was showing its age. The mint green exterior hadn’t aged well whilst inside there were pink bathroom suites and a blue laundry. The single glazed doors and windows were old and draughty and the lack of any insulation meant it was pretty cold.
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