The "pick'n'mix" flexibility of this easy living three-level home made it an easy choice when its owners were looking for a house to grow into.
Jane Melville-Allen and her husband, Murray Allen, recognised the versatility of this weatherboard home's self-contained downstairs set-up when they were house hunting around 2000. Murray's daughter, Georgie, was then a youngster who often stayed with them and they wanted a home that could accommodate changing needs as she grew up.
Jane says: "The people who owned the home before us had an ageing mother and they did a significant renovation, which allowed them to house her downstairs. We knew that format would work brilliantly for us, too, as we'd eventually have a teenager who'd want that level.
"We had downstairs rented out to tenants for five or so years, helping offset the mortgage. That was until Georgie started eyeing it up for slumber parties and to have lots of friends around."
Their home, which evolved from a circa-1920s character house, sits on a rise overlooking a valley stretching out to Mt Wellington.
"Sometimes people just walk in and walk straight through the house to look at the views out the other side. On a clear day you can see out to Coromandel. There's a beautiful view from our master bedroom."
A fenced courtyard entry with fountain leads to the mid-level's front door. Two of three living areas are on this floor. The main lounge with fireplace opens to a deck. They use a more compact entertainment room with French doors to the front courtyard as a cosy snug in winter. "I'm a sun bunny and it's easy to follow the sun around the house. I can start out on this deck off the middle level, then go downstairs to get the sun in the back garden and then out the front to catch the last of the day's sun."
They've used this level's formal dining room for dinner parties and thrown themed birthday parties for Georgie here.
"We've had a ton of fun here. It's a brilliant home for parties and entertaining."
The rear kitchen/informal dining room also has access to the deck. The entry foyer has a powder room and stairs leading past leadlight windows to the upper level. This houses three bedrooms, including the sizeable master with walk-in wardrobe, plus a family bathroom.
In her teens, Georgie commandeered most of the lower level, namely its large lounge with kitchen, bedroom and bathroom. It opens to an outdoor entertaining area and includes an additional built-in pull-down bed (enabling it to operate as a fifth bedroom). This level also has a laundry and considerable storage space.
Friends have used downstairs as temporary accommodation, often after selling houses.
"We had a joke that we should put a revolving door in down there and have a bell hop to welcome them."
They asked a landscape designer for low-maintenance grounds that'd suit entertaining and fit with their busy lives. The backyard patio is large enough to house a good-size table and a spa pool (included in this sale). Tropical plants edge the level lawn and a side stairwell leads down to the double garage underneath.
Now that it's just the couple at home they're looking to downsize to something smaller.
"We're rattling around in here now, really. We haven't sat downstairs for over a year and it's time another family moved in."
