Torbay: Sold in 15 minutes

Picture / Geoff Dale

A split-second decision saw a couple swap their two-year building plan for a modern family home in Torbay.

Tony and Debbie Wilson took two years to painstakingly plan the new home they wanted to build in Greenhithe.

But it took just 15 minutes for them to scrap their plans after they acted on a whim and checked out a newly built home in Torbay that they liked the sound of.

"We were literally about to start building. But we saw this house advertised one weekend. We took one look at it and decided straight away to try to buy it because it had everything we needed," says Tony.

That everything includes four double bedrooms and a study, a separate downstairs living space with kids' bathroom, internal-access double garaging and views over Torbay to rural Okura.

There is also an expansive upstairs deck, a downstairs barbecue area that opens to a subtropical garden and an open-plan kitchen and living area upstairs.

The Wilsons have four children, aged 22, 20, 12 and 11. "Our two older boys had just left home and we realised that this was actually the perfect time to downsize - from six bedrooms to four."

Only 14 days after the Wilsons put in a backup offer on the Beach Rd property, they managed to clinch the deal and move in, just a few weeks before Christmas.

Tony says the house also appealed instantly because it was well-finished, built with sound materials and had good detailing.

Cedar cladding and pre-cast, tilt slab concrete gives the home an ultra-modern look. Spouting and soakers are made of copper and the joinery is aluminium.

"We've always gone for modern homes, but they have not always been as well built as this one. One of the major attractions of this house has been that it's so low maintenance."

The fact that the 726sq m property is only 400m from Torbay beach and 300m from the shops also made it irresistible.

But Tony says the biggest drawcard was having a completely separate living area for the kids, which works really well. "It's the first time we have done that and I would do it again in a heartbeat."

You enter the house through a mezzanine-level foyer. Stairs lead either down to three kids' bedrooms, a separate living area, children's bathroom and separate guest toilet, or upstairs to the open-plan living room, kitchen and decking, study and master bedroom. A glass roof in the en suite means you can star gaze or watch the sun set.

The split layout means that when the Wilsons are entertaining upstairs, the kids can watch TV and socialise downstairs. But generous spaces and floor-to-ceiling windows throughout much of the house create a sense of openness, so the different levels don't feel too cut off from each other.

It takes about 10 minutes to drive the younger children to nearby Kristen School in the mornings. As long as they avoid peak traffic, Debbie and Tony manage the daily commute to their Epsom hairdressing business, Raven, in under 30 minutes.

Because the 270sq m house sits across the boundary and covers most of the site, the grounds need little maintenance, but there is still room for a 6m lawn for kids to play on.

The garden, which was planted by landscape designers Florish, is still fairly young. But clumps of agaves, tree ferns, birds of paradise and palms are growing quickly to create a sheltered, subtropical microclimate, and raised kwila boardwalks that connect to outside decks create a Balinese feel.

A spa pool on the ground level is neatly hidden by a sliding, wooden cover. Internal-access double garaging is concealed by bifolding electric doors, which close in a V-shape.

"It's possibly the only garage door of its kind in the country - it's very James Bond," says Tony.

Upstairs, sliding louvre doors separate the master bedroom from the office, which has been designed to double as a nursery.

A triangular granite island in the centre of the kitchen is a great gathering point for guests and also links the kitchen to the adjacent dining area and living room.

"The whole upstairs space works really well when we have friends around. The living area and kitchen open to the deck, and that's where people tend to stand because the views are so great."

Vital Statistics

ADDRESS: 1007 Beach Rd, Torbay.

FEATURES: Four bedrooms; study; two bathrooms; separate toilet; internal-access double garaging; sea views; spa pool; underfloor heating; gas fireplace; north-east-facing deck; subtropical garden.

AUCTION: March 9. Similar properties in this area have recently sold for around $900,000.

AGENT: Jo Lanigan, Bayleys North Shore. Ph 489 0965 bus; 027 279 5468 mob.