An agent gave them a heads-up on a property on Cheltenham Rd, with an owner open to offers.
The location gave the Costellos everything they dreamed of - a cul-de-sac about five houses back from Cheltenham Beach, and a short, flat stroll to the harbourside promenade of King Edward Parade, the North Head maritime park and Devonport domain.
Dean would be able to launch his boat from Torpedo Bay, Kate was wooed by the multitude of cafes, and the kids would be well-catered to, with a good school a few blocks away and plenty of safe spots to swim and explore.
What's more, the house was a villa.
Kate says they knew it was the right place for them as soon as they walked in the door, with its pretty decorative features, sash windows, French doors, open fireplaces, high ceilings and native timbers. "I instantly knew we could live here."
With an open-plan main living area and separate lounge, four bedrooms - including an upstairs master retreat - study, small courtyard and lawn, and a loft room above the separate garage, it had plenty of space for the family to work, grow and play.
But the best feature of their new home - which they only discovered after they moved in - was the neighbourhood.
On summer evenings, local families gravitate to the beach for picnics and swims.
Kate loves the way the quiet street fills with life on a sunny day, with people strolling to the beach and back. If the family are not down on the sand, she and Dean will soak up the summery atmosphere with a glass of wine or a coffee on their west-facing veranda while the children lounge on bean bags on the lawn.
The house had been extended and updated a decade or two earlier, with the addition of the garage, loft and light-filled living area and kitchen, so it needed no structural work, but was ripe for a freshening up.
Though the couple loved the house's rimu features, there were a lot of them and they made the house feel dark and enclosed - the ceilings, doors, window surrounds, skirting boards, and wall panels were all rimu. Adding to the woodiness were wooden floors in the hallway and black wood beams in the living room.
So Kate and Dean bought lashings of white paint and applied it liberally from top to bottom, giving the house an airy and spacious feel that complements its seaside, maritime location.
They didn't imagine they'd be leaving the house after less than two years, but their hankering for peace and space has taken on a more ambitious direction - they've bought a block of land on Waiheke and are planning to build. "It'll be an exciting adventure," says Kate, "but I will miss the people around here, and the house."
