SCHOOL ZONES:
Epsom Normal School, Auckland Normal Intermediate, double Grammar.
CONTACT:
Steen Nielsen, Ray White, 027 557 8336 or 520 1900.
AUCTION:
November 2, 4.30pm.
When you're a teenager you tend not to think much about the classic period features and gracious style of your house -- it's just home.
Now that he's in his 30s, George Heinemann has a much greater appreciation for the features that make his family's elegant home special -- like the generously proportioned rooms, beautiful leadlight windows and ornate fireplaces.
But he admits that when he lived there in his teens, one of the things he was most grateful for was the fact that it was big enough for him and his two siblings to have their own space.
"It meant we weren't on top of each other all the time," says George, who has been living at home again with his dad Andy following his return to New Zealand after a stint overseas. "We had big bedrooms and there were separate living areas so we had plenty of room to do our own thing."
There was even more space when older brother Andreas moved out to a bedroom and en suite that had been created in one half of the four-car garage.
Previous owners had used it as a gym, and it could also make a good home office, points out George.
His dad bought the house, which dates back to around 1900-1910, in 2000 from the Hartner family, who were in the construction business and had extended the home during their time there. They'd pushed out the back of the house, adding a new kitchen and a living room that opens on to a large deck. They put on an upstairs level with a bathroom and two bedrooms, though one is so big it could be used as another lounge. That room has a huge storage cupboard and access to a balcony looking out over the lawn and deck.
The house had been renovated so well the Heinemanns didn't need to do much, although they did add a giant spa pool on the deck.
Image 1 of 7: There's room in this character-filled house for everyone to do their own thing. Photos / Ted Baghurst
"We used to have friends over on a Friday night, and would sit in the spa pool watching TV in the living room," recalls George.
At the other end of the house is the formal lounge, an elegant room of grand proportions that houses the family's baby grand piano but still leaves plenty of room for large sofas. A feature of this room is the impressive fireplace, and like several other rooms in this original part of the house, it has beautifully preserved leadlight windows and a chandelier.
The dining room next door also harks back to another era with its decorative tiled fireplace, and bay window with a window seat. Because this room is so large the family had a table, chairs and sideboard specially made to fit the space and they will be staying behind, along with the oversized rugs in several of the rooms.
"There's no point in taking them, they are so big they are unlikely to fit anywhere else," says George.
The master bedroom also has a lovely old fireplace, along with a big en suite and dressing room that were added by the Hartners. A bedroom that used to belong to George's sister Grace is further down the wide central hallway, along with a family bathroom and powder room.
Another room off the kitchen had been used as a bedroom by previous owners, but it became the computer room for the Heinemann kids.
Time has come to pass the home on to another family, says George. "We're leaving with a heavy heart -- we have a lot of happy memories."
The house is in immaculate condition but new owners may want to update the kitchen and bathrooms.
George adds, "Someone with a bit of design savvy could do something great with this house."
