KEY POINTS:
Address: 80 John Street, Ponsonby.
Bruce Renshaw has his hedge trimmer back for good now that his daughter Sarah and her husband Stephen Robb are moving from their house with its neatly clipped hedges into another house with no hedges at all.
Clipping the buxus hedge that skims the front verandah of their 1914 villa has been a pleasurable chore for Sarah and Stephen, and they'd pass Bruce's hedge trimmer back and forth between the households as needed.
``I'd do the trimming and Stephen would do the sweeping,'' says Sarah. ``I loved using the hedge trimmer, but I hated the tidying up.''
In their three and a half years here, the Robb family (Sophie is 8 months old) have had to do little more than maintain the front garden beneath the filtered light of the large pin oak tree, and up the steps from the new front gate they added for charm and security.
Instead they have turned their attention to the back garden, removing three large trees to bring more light onto the lawn and the decks that, by their different levels, define an enviable choice of areas of relaxation and entertaining.
The dining area off the lounge and the kitchen opens on two sides through French doors. The kitchen has traditional windows that open to the barbecue area and a favourite snoozing spot, where their custom-made outdoor kwila-and-canvas futon sits in the shade of a purple magnolia and bougainvillea-draped pergola.
Inside, Sarah and Stephen have painted out the multi-coloured rooms that included a terracotta-coloured hallway, a mustard coloured bedroom and lime-coloured bathroom and laundry, adding neutral blinds throughout.
Taking their cue from the lounge, they matched its neutral tones throughout the house, including Sophie's nursery and the front bedroom (with new built-in louvred wardrobes) that open off each side of the central hallway.
The sunny dining room has new carpet in darker tones that sits more harmoniously beside the dark-stained kauri floorboards. These are now more of a feature against the light walls and the traditional mouldings.
The bathroom had black and white chequered vinyl tiles, but has now been tiled and painted in the same creamy tones with new modern fixtures.
``We lived with the house as it was for about a year but after a while we started to get tired of all that colour,'' Sarah explains.
Their style has colour added as sophisticated black and chocolate-coloured accents with a subtle African theme.
Sarah and Stephen had considered altering the house before their decision to buy a larger renovated villa on Herne Bay's southern side that they'll move to in March.
``This house has a lovely feel to it and it's really liveable as it is, but some of the ways we considered adding value were to upgrade the kitchen with granite or marble, and tile the shower,'' says Sarah.
With the footprint of the house covering just 28 per cent of the site, there's scope to extend the house (perhaps by enlarging the kitchen) up to the site coverage limit of 35 per cent. Zoned Residential 1, which is a character zone, there's also potential to build up to a height of 8m, as neighbours have done.
VITAL STATISTICS
BEDROOMS: 3
BATHROOMS: 1
GARAGES: 1
SIZE: Land 417sq m, house 120sq m.
PRICE INDICATION: Interest expected in the $700,000s. Auction February 1.
INSPECT: Sat/Sun 12-12.45pm.
ON THE WEB: www.uprealty.co.nz # 144519
SCHOOL ZONES: Ponsonby Primary, Ponsonby Intermediate, Auckland Girls Grammar and Western Springs College.
CONTACT: Marc Collins, Unlimited Potential Herne Bay, ph 360 4416 bus, 0274 485 961.
FEATURES: Character 1914 villa with rear 1980s extension to the deck and lawn. Third bedroom/study with high speed data connections for use as an office. Cobbled covered courtyard.
