SCHOOL ZONES:
Remuera School, Remuera Intermediate, double Grammar.
CONTACT:
Steve Hood, Barfoot & Thompson, 021 911 606.
AUCTION:
June 15.
Rugby was the reason Kate and Andrew Hickey came to discover Remuera when they moved here from Sydney for Andrew's work with a medical supply company.
Kate originally hails from Britain and Andrew is Australian. One of the first things he did when the couple came here was to join the College Rifles rugby club. The Hickeys were renting in Parnell, so they would drive through Remuera on the way to the club grounds in Haast St.
When the Hickeys realised they were going to be in Auckland for a few years they decided they wanted to buy in Remuera. The spacious and sunny home they bought in Cotter Ave five years ago was their first as a married couple.
At the time, Kate was pregnant with oldest child Max, now 4, and the condition of the house wasn't conducive to the young family being as comfortable as it could be. "We spent some time looking and found this place, but at the time it was quite dilapidated, with dated decor and weeds growing outside," Kate recalls.
But the Hickeys loved how light the house was and how close it was to Remuera Rd.
"With a new baby I could just walk up to the post office or to the doctor," Kate says. "And even though the decor was a bit drab, the sun was just streaming in and we could see its potential. Since then, it's fulfilled all our expectations."
As with many renovations, what was initially planned as a cosmetic makeover evolved into a more comprehensive project. Builders removed a wall to make the living room more open plan and totally refurbished the kitchen and bathrooms. The Hickeys repainted throughout and put in new carpet and window treatments.
Image 1 of 5: Seeing the potential shine through, a couple have turned this once drab and dilapidated home into a pleasant living space. Photos / Ted Baghurst
Upstairs, they created a fourth bedroom by reconfiguring the existing footprint, transforming an awkward space off what is now the guest bedroom into a room for daughter Sasha, 2. The bedrooms had their wardrobe spaces improved, with new built-in storage systems.
In the master bedroom, Kate points towards a window with a view across the neighbourhood rooftops, over to Ellerslie racecourse. "Because we're quite elevated we're not overlooked by neighbours and it's really private, yet we've got this beautiful outlook."
She also appreciates the abundant storage in this home. There are myriad cupboards, as well as under-stair storage when the family stores its suitcases. Under the house is a further area which could be developed into basement storage space.
The house has a separate laundry and a powder room, accessed from a door near the dining area and kitchen. Near the front door is internal access to the double garage, which is carpeted. Kate says the family loves using the garage as a rumpus room.
"Sometimes on wet days I will drive the car in here with the groceries, then reverse and park outside so that the kids can ride their trikes in here."
Outside, the weeds are long gone. The garden is easy-care, with different spots to enjoy the sun or dine alfresco.
"My mother-in-law was a horticulturalist, so she gave us some help with what to plant where," Kate says.
The Hickeys have enjoyed living here and love the way Remuera is like a village.
"Everyone is so friendly here," says Kate. "They always say 'Hi' in the supermarket and notice how much the children have grown."
But now it's time for the Hickeys to move on from their first house as a family. Andrew's work is taking them back to Sydney.
