Behind the green door in Freemans Bay

10 Georgina Street, Freemans Bay. Photo / Getty Images.

10 GEORGINA ST, FREEMANS BAY

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SIZE: Land 304sq m, house 189sq m (approx).

PRICE INDICATION: CV of $810,000. Auction December 15.

INSPECT: Sat/Sun 12pm-12.30 pm

ON THE WEB: www.bayleys.co.nz

SCHOOL ZONES: Freemans Bay Primary, Ponsonby Intermediate, Auckland Girls' Grammar, Western Springs College.

CONTACT: Andrea Ritchie or Karen Spires, Bayleys, Andrea ph 021 906 793 or 375 7410, Karen ph 027 273 8220 or 375 8488.

FEATURES: Renovated 1890s worker's cottage with three levels of family living. Upper-floor living and dining room and decks have tree-top privacy, top-floor master suite with city views and ground floor bedroom/second living room with fireplace opens to garden and water feature. Rare off-street parking, minutes to city and Ponsonby.

The planet is a precious place, and Ecostore founders Melanie and Malcolm Rands reckon they have found one of the most special corners of it in their 1890s worker's cottage in Freemans Bay. The couple divide their time between their permaculture community in Northland, their flagship store in Freemans Bay, and their growing business in North America, but their slice of Auckland - only minutes from the office - is going to be hard to leave. The couple bought the cottage in 2006 when they and their then late-teenage children had outgrown their house in Grey Lynn.

"Usual story," laughs Malcolm. "We'd been looking all around Grey Lynn and then came over here, saw this place and as soon as we walked in the door we knew. All our living is north-facing, which is important in this part of town. I've always wanted a bedroom that connects with the land, and this space that opens to the garden is just perfect."

Melanie and Malcolm commandeered the ground-floor room as their master suite. With its bifold doors to the sheltered terrace, dappled light of the tropical garden, and the soothing sound of the steel-and-stone water feature, they could be miles from the city. Their visitors from the USA cannot believe that this is inner-city living. While the space does not have a bathroom, it does have a cosy wood fire, as previous owners used it for a second living room. The Rands had plans to add a bathroom and wardrobes, but it was while they were going through the "renovate or buy something already done-up" investigations that they came across a striking loft-style house in nearby St Marys Bay and decided to move to a sea view. The original cottage is evident in the two front bedrooms of the house. The wide kauri-plank floors just needed polishing to bring out their history. Split-level stairs lead to the open-plan living room and kitchen, with a bathroom to one side. Despite various renovations over the years, evidenced by changes in the vintages of the wood flooring, the resulting space is an appealing mix of recycled Victoriana and modern green features. The couple know that the best green house is one that uses existing buildings, rather than starting from scratch, so the changes they have made are thoughtful - they added low-energy heat pumps, a compost and a compact balcony vege garden (their main food comes from the gardens up north).

Melanie redesigned the kitchen and added storage walls, with craftsman joiner Glenn Hogg making everything out of sustainable plywood. Living centres around the generous family dining table, with windows opening to treetops and the covered deck for summers outdoors. At the top of the house is the former master bedroom, with an en suite and views through to the ubiquitous Sky Tower. "The lucky one" of their kids each got to use this area as their base, but now they have both left home it is time for parents to create a new life for themselves.

"We love being this close to work, we can walk to the city, the waterfront or up to Ponsonby. We've loved it here and will be really sorry to go because it is a special location," says Melanie.