SCHOOL ZONES:
Ellerslie Primary and One Tree Hill College.
CONTACT:
Alex Baker, Barfoot & Thompson, 0274 579 805.
AUCTION:
December 9.
*One off-street car park.
Mark Ferguson and wife Katie's 21-month-old son Louie just adores having a world-famous racecourse at the end of the street. "When the meetings are on we sneak down and have a good look at the horses. He thinks it's great," says Mark.
The couple bought their classic bungalow five years ago; it was newly refurbished at the time so they haven't had to do too much to it.
"Basically, we spruced things up a bit and we've taken care of general maintenance, but apart from that it's just been a great place to live."
The actor, who's now in the events business and Katie, who works in the health sector, are very much family people and the house has a fresh, welcoming vibe.
Mark's 17 year-old-son Cam lives with them and is hoping to follow in his father's footsteps on stage and screen. "I don't mind taking Louie out for walks around here. It's quite fun having a much younger brother," he says.
The bungalow works well for a family. At the right, inside the front door, there's a generous master bedroom with ample wardrobe space and authentic period touches, such as an intricate moulded ceiling rose.
To the left lies the main lounge with its charming corner window seat. It segues perfectly into a generous dining space with a light-filled office or sunroom to its side. This area has an open-plan arrangement with the kitchen, where bi-fold windows enable the cook to integrate with family and friends on the sun-drenched deck outside.
The family tends to live mainly in this area but when privacy is required, Louie's lovely sunny nursery and Cam's good-sized teenage lair are both great bolt-holes.
"Katie always said that our dream house needed two bathrooms; one for the boys and one for her -- and that's exactly what we've got," says Mark.
Image 1 of 5: All-day birdsong and a racecourse nearby are only part of this property's charm. Photos / Ted Baghurst
The main bathroom is at the end of the unusually wide hallway, and it's certainly an elegant retreat. At the back of the house, beyond the kitchen, the designated male bathroom is also large and light, and beside it is a separate laundry.
With ceiling and under-floor insulation, the house requires very little heating.
Although it sits on a quiet tree-lined street with all-day birdsong, the property enjoys easy access to the Southern motorway and is just around the corner from up-and-coming Ellerslie village. "Just in the few years we've lived here we've noticed huge changes. The old Ellerslie is still there but now it's modern too - in a good way," says Mark. "The new cafes and restaurants complement the ones that were there before."
The family is decamping to the eastern suburbs for a change of lifestyle and a bit more land.
"There's lots more that we could have done here though. We thought about making the front fence taller and creating a private courtyard and even considered putting on an upper storey. It could certainly be done."
There's also an attached carport with potential for more development. Mark says that he and Katie have mixed feelings about leaving.
"We were married here, had Louie here, and it's been a huge part of our lives as a couple so far.
"We love its street appeal, the neighbours are truly lovely and it's hard to imagine another house that's quite so nice. We really hope that another young family will see its potential ..."
