SCHOOL ZONES:
Royal Oak School and Intermediate, Onehunga High.
CONTACT:
Eden Thomson, 021 790 552, or Carita Fenning, 021 758 402, Ray White
AUCTION:
1.30pm, October 20 (unless sold prior).
Jayne and Ray Jacobsen feel their character-laden home is on a little piece of the countryside in the city.
Jane says: "People are always amazed when they come around and see how spacious our grounds are."
Ray says: "When we first saw this place we thought it was like a farm in the city.
"The house has an old English country-ish look. And the grounds are big enough for the kids to run around as well as having plenty of space for the vege gardens and chicken coop."
In fact their 1024sq m property is within half a kilometre of the Royal Oak Shops and under 7km from Auckland's CBD. The 1920s home is on a quiet side street only a couple of properties away from the southern end of Cornwall Park.
Their previous property was also near Cornwall Park but they had a hankering for easy indoor-outdoor flow to level grounds to suit their young children.
Business advisor Ray and former-nurse-now-mum Jane are parents to 7-year-old Georgia, 5-year-old Dane and 18-month-old Frankie; with four goldfish and four chickens rounding out the brood.
They were told when they bought here three years ago that their "Olde English" weatherboard home was designed by early architect Andre DeMar. A photograph of it is used to illustrate a historical architecture book detailing how this style of home has gables and steep roofs which sweep down low over the entry porch.
Jayne and Ray had stonemasons add the front rock wall to reference the stone walls found throughout Cornwall Park.
The front of the home oozes character, its shutters, prominent chimney, tiled roof and the asymmetrical form of its front gables suggesting English domestic revival style architecture.
Image 1 of 6: Huge grounds and an English-style house are features of this Royal Oak property. Photos / Michelle Hyslop
Two shuttered leadlight windows flanking the arched red front door serve as an introduction to many more leadlights and shutters around the home.
Jane says: "You come inside and see all the detailing and think 'Wow'."
The foyer with discrete little office off it has a delightful original wooden bench-seat built in, including an integrated umbrella holder.
The main hall has painted timber panelling.
Deeply beamed timber ceilings abound including one in the formal lounge with ceiling rose and wood-burning fireplace.
The couple have added ducted central heating.
They also re-jigged the upstairs layout to include a fourth bedroom there allowing them to sacrifice what had been a fourth bedroom downstairs to create a spacious rear open-plan living-dining-kitchen spread.
Downstairs now includes two bedrooms and a bathroom.
The separate double garage includes a workshop area. Another fine spot to admire the grounds from is the upper rear deck which opens off both the master bedroom with en suite and the second upstairs bedroom.
Jayne likes sunbathing up here.
There's also under-roof storage on this level.
It's an easy walk from here to Georgia and Dane's primary school, Royal Oak School, and to favourite cafes.
The Jacobsens are selling as they're ready for a new chapter.
