SCHOOL ZONES:
Orakei School, St Joseph’s School, Selwyn College.
CONTACT:
Mike Zelcer, Ray White, ph 021 934 240 or 09 520 7412.
This Orakei property's owners realise most folk will appreciate its detailing and sunny, easy nature far more than its excellent space to tango in.
Good dance space wasn't a pre-requisite when Simone Schenirer and husband Gavin Kouwenhoven viewed this home in 2005. But the twirl-inviting wooden floor of the dining area was a bonus for the pair, who taught Ceroc together for a decade and met through dance 14 years ago.
Simone says, "We actually had to raise the light in this dining area so that Gavin wouldn't bang his head on it when we danced here."
Nine years ago they had almost given up on finding an Auckland house with land to upgrade to from their Ponsonby apartment, and were considering Hamilton investment property. Then they found this newly built home.
"It had been lovingly built by a Dutchman for himself with lots of extra detail," says Simone.
Workmanship includes feature walls panelled in Norwegian pine and a cavity slider which can reconfigure the flow through living areas.
On their first visit, Gavin and Simone spent an hour exploring the house, built of Linea weatherboards with a full cavity system, Titan board and a concrete block base.
"It was winter and the lounge was absolutely flooded with sun," recalls Simone. "We drove down to Mission Bay and said to each other, 'That feels like our next home'."
It takes about 10 minutes to walk to Mission Bay or drive to either the city or St Heliers from the elevated, easy-care 401sq m grounds.
"People often seem surprised how spacious the house is given it has quite a small footprint," says Simone. "It's a small site but it's been built very well for privacy and the way it's designed you don't feel like you're living cheek by jowl."
Experience has proven the suitability of the floor plan for more than two adults; a friend stayed for a while in one of the two sizeable downstairs bedrooms, which are accompanied by a smart bathroom, under-stair storage and an internal-access double garage.
The staircase's attractive timber treads narrow slightly on ascent, guiding you upwards. The lounge, with ceiling beams and feature wall, opens to a north-facing deck screened by yuccas. It's so sunny the couple installed an extendable awning.
Gavin, who's a general manager, says of the lounge, "The high sloping ceiling here gives you a nice sense of space."
A cavity slider slides from within a hallway wall to close off the study or dining-kitchen space, which both also incorporate panelled feature walls.
Image 1 of 6: 84 Rukutai St Orakei. Photo / Getty Images
Simone teaches Italian and the pair regularly host long Italian-style Sunday lunches in their kitchen and dining space, which has a heat pump and opens to a tidy backyard. The Polynesian rimu floors here have witnessed them take instruction in their current passion, Argentinean tango, and choreograph and teach couples wedding dances.
The deck off the master bedroom is well positioned to admire sunsets. The master suite has a walk-in wardrobe plus a shoe wardrobe and an en suite with bath. Simone's love of shoes necessitated outfitting a large hall storage cupboard for more footwear although it's pre-plumbed should others want to make it a toilet.
They're moving to Queenstown to run a boutique bed and breakfast with retreat aspect, utilising Gavin's health coach training.
