AUCTION:
October 30 6pm on site (unless sold prior).
When local timber merchant George Nicks built this colonial-style home, Takapuna was a very different area.
Although the two-storey home and two neighbouring houses, also built by George, retain their charms, Takapuna has grown to become a major shopping and hospitality precinct.
It was the combination of the location and the character of the 1920s home that attracted Tim and Leonie Turner in 1998.
Tim says, "We leased a property for a year in Hurstmere Rd and loved the area. We spotted the house and liked its old English style and the garden and trees."
Though he is unsure exactly what timber was used to construct the home, which has a tile roof, Tim says George Nicks would have used the best at his disposal in what is a quality build.
Nicks also introduced some quirky elements such as the windows, which have a Middle Eastern look, mimicked by the surround of the gas fireplace.
Set back from the street and fully fenced, the home has a large front garden dominated by a recently pruned pohutukawa and a garage in a corner on the street side.
Leonie says with plants such as tulips, dahlias, Christmas lilies and clivia, "We've got a garden for all seasons; there's always some colour out there."
There is a gate on the opposite corner to the garage that has allowed the family to roll out a boat, which sits tucked to one side of the house behind another wooden gate.
With Tim having spent time in the Royal New Zealand Navy, boating has a been a big part of the lives of the couple and their three children, especially with the beach close by.
Leonie says of their two sons and a daughter, "The kids had to learn to row first so we knew they could get back then we would let them go out with a two-horse motor on the back of the boat."
Though the couple have made no major changes to the house, they did put in a swimming pool at the rear of the house for the kids.
Leonie points out that even though they weren't required to, they secured it with a glass fence which has given them peace of mind once grandchildren arrived on the scene.
Previous owners added an extension to the kitchen but otherwise the layout of the home remains traditional, with the entry via a sheltered porch bringing you into the hallway and on to the formal lounge, which transitions into a snug with gas fireplace.
Character features such as beamed ceilings, leadlight windows and window seats abound.
From the lounge you move through to the north-facing sunroom, which opens out to the pool and adjoins the kitchen and dining room. This has a curving window seat, and also opens out to the pool.
Upstairs there are three good-sized bedrooms and a smaller one that would make an ideal playroom for kids. One of the bedrooms on the south side of the house has beautiful views through the pohutukawa.
Leonie says the house has served them well over the years with enough different living spaces to cope with family life "but not so big that you lose yourself".
"It's been a wonderful family home with a trampoline in the garden and a tree house in the pohutukawa," says Tim. "And the kids would camp out in tents in the garden."
At this stage of their lives, the Turners say it's time to downsize so they can travel a bit more.
Tim says, "We love the location so we will be staying in the area."
