St Heliers: In a perfect world

Photo / Geoff Dale

Attention to detail is just one feature of a spectacular home with European sensibilities.

29 Woodside Crescent, St Heliers.

When people told German-born Traudi Schoenek she was being fussy about the new house she was having built, she had to look the word up in the dictionary.

"At first I thought is this a bad thing? Then I thought, well, it is just me and I want my house to be perfect."

As it turned out, being fussy has been a very good thing, because Traudi and her husband Herbert have ended up with a spectacular and unique home.

From the pop-up bread slicer concealed in a cupboard and the step ladder hidden behind kickbacks in the kitchen, to the high clothes rails that have handles so you can pull them down within reach, this eight-year-old house is full of clever features that make it a dream to live in.

Traudi, who worked closely with architect Ron Sang, thought of everything; from putting a low sink in the garage to make it easy to clean golf clubs, to having an electric socket in a bathroom drawer so she could keep her hair dryer plugged in but out of sight.

"I like things to be practical," she says. "I don't like clutter and I've made sure things can be easily put away."

There's abundant storage space throughout the house, all of it designed for easy access. CD shelves in a built-in cupboard in the family room slide out, as does the shelf the TV sits on. As well as a large dressing room off the master bedroom, a hallway is lined with wardrobes. There's no excuse for leaving anything out in the kitchen, which has plenty of floor-to-ceiling cupboards.

Traudi and Herbert not only wanted a home that made life easier, they wanted one that was healthy and environmentally friendly. They consulted Reinhard Kanuka-Fuchs, a specialist in bioharmonic architecture and ecological building, about using non-toxic building materials and reducing electro-magnetic fields, which radiate from electrical installations and wiring.

The main bedroom is wired with a demand switch, so that when the last light is switched off, all power to the room is cut at the meter box. "That means you get to sleep all night in an environment that is free of electro-magnetic stress," says Traudi.

The skirting is flush to the walls, so it doesn't gather dust, and because Traudi doesn't like air conditioning, the windows in the living areas can all be opened electrically to allow cross-ventilation.

Other examples of Traudi's attention to detail include kitchen cupboards finished with Nissan metallic car polish to achieve the exact finish she was after, and a chime that can be switched on to ring in the main bedroom when the back door is opened. .

The house has a heated swimming pool, double glazed windows, state-of-the-art security system and thermostatically-controlled underfloor heating - plus it is wired for sound. But it also contains fixtures and fittings that you won't often find in other upmarket Kiwi homes, because Traudi had them shipped from Europe.

"There were a lot of things you couldn't get easily here so I brought over everything - from Travertine tiles from Italy to door handles. It is a very European home."

The Schoeneks came to New Zealand on holiday in 1992 and immediately decided this was a country where they'd love to live. They moved here the following year and Herbert, who'd had a software business in Germany, set up a similar company. They found the perfect site for their dream home after door-knocking in St Heliers with real estate agent Gerard Charteris.

"I'm from Munich and used to living opposite a forest, so I wanted somewhere with lots of green," says Traudi. "Privacy was very important to me, too. When we found this site next to Dingle Dell and only five minutes to the beach it was just what we wanted."

The existing house's owner, who ironically had been born in Germany, was persuaded to sell and the home pulled down.

The Schoeneks' brief to Ron Sang was to replace it with a classic-style home with clean lines that would work well with their collection of Bauhaus era furniture.

They've been delighted with the result and love living here. However, Herbert's company has taken off, expanding into Australia, Europe and the United States, and the couple is moving to California because of business commitments.

"We will still have a home here because we love New Zealand but this house is too big just for the two of us, especially when we won't be here much. I wish I could shrink it," says Traudi.

"We will be selling it with tears in our eyes."

Vital Statistics

SIZE: 529sq m (approx).

PRICE INDICATION: Interest expected over $2.5 million. Auction May 4.

INSPECT: By appointment.

CONTACT: Gerard and Karin Charteris, Barfoot & Thompson, ph 524 1453 bus, 021 996 622 mob.

FEATURES: Three living areas including gazebo room on top level with roof deck, formal and informal dining areas, built-in sunbed in one bathroom, gas fire and wood-burning fire, radiators in several bedrooms, floor-to-ceiling cavity sliders in living areas, jet stream in heated pool.