Bird of paradise in Epsom

10 Cecil Rd, Epsom, Auckland. Photo / Supplied

MARCROFT HOUSE 10 CECIL RD EPSOM

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SIZE: Land 612sq m, house 220sq m (approx).

PRICE INDICATION: CV $1.36 million. Auction Wednesday April 13 at 1pm (unless sold prior).

INSPECT: Sat/Sun 1-1.30pm.

ON THE WEB: barfoot.co.nz/452063

SCHOOL ZONES: Mt Eden Normal Primary, Auckland Normal Intermediate, Auckland Grammar, Epsom Girls' Grammar.

CONTACT: Di Lynds or Paul Donovan, Barfoot & Thompson Mt Eden, ph 638 9158, 0274 743 555 (Di), or 021 862 244 (Paul).

FEATURES: Beautifully restored character villa, with separate living areas and generous bedrooms, including an upstairs bedroom that could be a hobby room or office. Established gardens with pond and water feature. Garage with workshop, off-street parking.

Specially made plaques on the garage and house hint at the history of Mike and Raewyn Stockham's Epsom home.

But they say more about the couple's love of their villa and the way they have preserved its character in the 15 years they have owned it.

Mike had the plaques naming their home Marcroft House made to recognise the original owner and provide a sense of history.

"The original deeds of the house showed it was owned by Walter Marcroft in 1909 and he was listed as a carriage maker so come 2009, I thought it would be rather nice to celebrate that fact so I had a couple of plaques made up," says Mike. "And seeing as we are on the Coast to Coast walkway it gives a little idea of the history of the house for people walking by."

Cecil Rd is on the walkway route, courtesy of its ready access to one of the highlights of the trek, Mt Eden, and is a pleasant street to stroll as it is lined with mature ash trees.

When the couple moved from Oratia to make Mike's working life easier, Raewyn confesses that she was apprehensive about moving into the city.

"But the morning I woke up here, it was so quiet and the kowhai tree outside was in flower and had half a dozen tui in it so I knew it was going to be all right," she says.

While they were happy with the location - down a quiet street but close to the buzz of Mt Eden village and the convenience of the motorway - the colour scheme of the well-maintained house was not quite to their liking. "It was blue on the outside and pink on the inside," laughs Mike. "Someone said to me, 'Ah, so you're moving into the wedding cake'."

The exterior colour scheme is now a more restrained light khaki to contrast with the dark grey roof, while the finials, gables and fretwork are highlighted in white.

Inside, subtly striped hand-made wallpaper and neutral paintwork allow the wooden joinery to shine. After living in the home for three years and thinking about how they would extend it, the Stockhams enlisted the help of architect Lyn Maltby to create an open-plan family room and kitchen at the rear of the house. They also built another bedroom into the attic space and added a garage at the front of the property built in sympathy with the home.

The existing garage at the rear of the property and the concrete driveway leading up to it were removed to create more garden space. Here, the couple have had rock walls built to contain and define garden beds, while Mike used recycled bricks in a design featuring overlapping circles to create a courtyard extending out to a pergola that he also built. A bridge over a fishpond fed by a gurgling water feature takes you to a path down the side of the house to the garage.

The old kitchen was also recycled with its benches and cabinets now serving as a smart workspace at the back of the garage. Rather than making the addition to the house square, the Stockhams opted to add more bays to the back of the house to mirror the look at the street frontage. "The bay windows and angles create interesting spaces and bring the sun in, too," says Mike.

In keeping with the rest of the house, the family room has a high stud, board-and-batten ceilings and wooden joinery, including a country-style kitchen which has bifold windows opening out to the courtyard to make entertaining easy. Tucked behind the house in a private spot is a spa pool beneath a mature tree.

The family room is heated by a gas fire, as is the adjoining formal lounge, which also has a bay window. Opposite the lounge is a bedroom and a bathroom with clawfoot bath. Further down the hallway is a bedroom used as an office and two more bedrooms at the front of the house. The master bedroom has an en suite, while a further bedroom looks out on the wisteria-draped wraparound veranda. The large upstairs bedroom has curved windows set in its gable ends that allow views over the neighbourhood. This room would also serve well as a hobby room and/or office.

With opportunities opening up in Queenstown for Mike's business, the Stockhams are selling up to split their time between the southern resort town and Auckland. It's an exciting new chapter for a couple who can leave Cecil Rd happy that their efforts have added to its stately ambience.