SCHOOL ZONES:
Meadowbank Primary, Remuera Intermediate, Selwyn College.
CONTACT:
Nicola Kelland, 021 474 645.
AUCTION:
On site, noon, May 19.
Downsizing from a large family home to an apartment is not always what it is cracked up to be -- despite all the hype you often hear about the joys of low maintenance and easy care living.
But John and Lea Worth can honestly say they have had no regretssince they traded their large Blockhouse Bay home -- complete with swimming pool and spa -- for this Remuera apartment almost 12 years ago.
The three-bedroom apartment is the largest one in a boutique block of only six which were designed to look and feel like townhouses.
Positioned high on the ridgeline of Remuera Rd between the Meadowbank and Upland Rd shops, the classically styled apartments were built in 1996 with concrete foundations, frames and doors, plastered masonry walls and shingled roofs.
All six apartments are owner occupied, have their own entrances and individual layout. Each apartment also shares an internal staircase to basement parking with only one other apartment.
After selling their Blockhouse Bay home when the youngest of their three children was a teenager, the Worths rented in Parnell for six months so they could look for a new home without feeling pressured into buying before they were ready.
"We wanted to downsize and we were only looking at apartments, but we didn't think we would be able to get into Remuera," says Lea.
Their brief included having three bedrooms and a large balcony. Having great views from almost every window of this 178sq m apartment was a bonus.
To the east you look out over Waiatarua Reserve, the Remuera Golf Course, Mt Wellington and across to the Bombay Hills.
One of the bedrooms looks north towards Rangitoto Island, and from the west-facing living room, balcony and master bedroom the views include One Tree Hill and Devonport.
Image 1 of 6: Spacious three-bedroom apartment puts paid to notion downsizing means big sacrifices. Photos / Ted Baghurst
Being two back from the road means traffic noise is not an issue and having plenty of space and large communal gardens surrounding the apartments means they are not overshadowed by neighbouring properties.
When John and Lea bought the apartment in 2004 it had been rented and parts of the interior decor were tired. Their improvements have included recarpeting, repainting and renovating both bathrooms.
But none of the internal layout, which flows well and includes high stud heights, has needed to be changed.
The front door of the apartment opens to a large atrium which has high, east-facing windows and a staircase that leads to a large landing with an open-plan office tucked into one side of it.
All of the bedrooms and apartment living are on this top level. Two double bedrooms with decorative balconies open off either side of the landing which also leads to a large kitchen.
Adjoining the kitchen are an open-plan dining room and the living room which opens to a balcony. This outdoor space captures the afternoon sun, has a retractable awning that provides shade in summer and is an excellent entertaining space.
The west-facing balcony also opens off the large master bedroom.
The apartment also includes a sizeable separate laundry, good cupboard space in the hallway that runs off the landing down to the master bedroom and a large lock-up storage space in the basement carpark.
Strategically positioned skylights in the kitchen, main bathroom and en suite mean the apartment always feels light.
Lea and John are great fans and supporters of their local Upland Rd shops, which they say have developed a really strong neighbourhood feel over the years.
Meadowbank's shops and supermarket are less than 10 minutes' walk in the other direction and Remuera Village is a short drive away.
Their plan now is to downsize to a smaller home which they say will also be an apartment.
