Mt Eden: Right neighbourly

A family moving to the country hope they can replicate the sense of community they already enjoy. 

30 Mt Pleasant Road, Mt Eden. Being neighbourly goes beyond lending each other cups of sugar at Shelley Grieve's house. 

Her family gets on so well with the residents of the surrounding homes that their gardens are connected by gates and ladders. 

"We've arranged it so we have easy access to each other's houses, and the kids love it," says Shelley. 

"When our husbands are away we wave to each other through the windows every now and again to make sure everyone's okay. We feel very safe and secure here." 

Forget borrowing an egg or two, she says. "We really get the works when it comes to our neighbours. You can't buy that, and we'll definitely miss it when we go." 

Shelley, her husband, Rod, and their three young children - Charlotte, Georgia and Harry - have decided to up sticks and head to Matakana for the country life. 

"It's something we've always talked about, and we don't want to end up wondering," says Shelley. 

"Rod is desperate to buy a boat and teach the kids all the water sports, and we're after a slower pace of life." 

But living where they do is as close as you'll come to the country life in the city, she says. 

"The park at the end of the road is an extension of the garden. We know all the people in the houses backing on to it, and they watch out for the kids when they're playing there. We have Friday night fish and chips in the park; it's fantastic." 

Shelley and Rod bought the house five years ago when it was pretty rundown. The previous owner had lived in it with his mother for about 20 years. 

"He had taped up the windows, so there hadn't been much fresh air through the place," she says. 

Since then, the couple has converted the two bedrooms into three to accommodate the kids, opened up the hallway, landscaped the garden, polished the matai floors, painted the exterior and paid some attention to the ceilings. 

Having a supportive family who mucked in had helped them through the renovations, says Shelley. 

"We managed okay with the kids around, thanks to the family helping out." 

The children's bedrooms open to the garden, so they can hop straight out of bed and outside to the lawn, if they wish. 

As well as accommodating the kids' art table, the good-sized kitchen opens to an excellent covered outdoor area. 

The lounge and dining area - which has some wonderful built-in timber cabinetry and a working fireplace with a tiled surround - sits across the hallway from the bedrooms. 

Being elevated, the lounge looks across the rooftops to Mt Roskill in the distance, and to Mt Eden to the left. 

The room downstairs is where guests sleep. Shelley and Rod have painted and carpeted it to make it cosy, but the real potential here is for a rumpus or a fourth bedroom with an internal access. 
 

Vital Statistics: 

BEDROOMS: 3 

BATHROOMS: 1 

GARAGE: 2 

SIZE: Land 533sq m, house 134sq m. 

PRICE: $779,000. 

INSPECT: Sat/Sun 1-1.45pm. 

CONTACT: Colleen Strachan or Lisa Pringle, Unlimited Potential, ph Colleen 631 5634 bus, 021 283 6194, Lisa 631 5180 bus, 0274 904 900. 

FEATURES: Weatherboard bungalow in cul de sac with a park at the end of the street. Character features, a child-safe garden and peeps of Mt Eden and Mt Roskill from the living area.