Family First

18 Laurence Street, Manly, Whangaparaoa Peninsula. 

A couple who built a home to suit themselves and their grandchildren ended up with an award-winner.

Jan Simpson loves the sea. For six months of the year, on almost a daily basis, she dons her togs and takes to the ocean for a dip. And living just 150m from the beach makes her feel blessed. 

When Jan and her husband, Graham, decided to up sticks from the North Shore and move to Manly on the Whangaparaoa Peninsula five years ago, it was a toss-up between a cliff-top home with a sea view or a place within walking distance of the sea. 

Plumping for the close proximity to the coast, the couple bought a sheltered, north-facing section and set about building a home to meet their needs, along with those of their grown-up children and grandchildren. 

Little did they and architect Geoff Luke know that the home would end up being an award winner, scooping a Gold Award in the 2004 Auckland Master Builder Awards. 

Jan wanted a single-storey house with a relaxed, beachy feel, extensive decking for the grandchildren to ride their bikes on, high ceilings and a parents' area that could be closed off from the rest of the home for the visiting family. 

Graham's wish list included an outdoor, undercover eating area, a garage big enough for two cars and his boat, a hot-and-cold outdoor shower, and a fish-cleaning bench. 

A modern, clean-lined and sophisticated home teamed with practical spaces and great areas for the children to play are what they got - right down to a place to stash the wee ones' Christmas presents. 

"We keep them all hidden under the window seat in the kitchen," says Jan. "They still haven't worked out that that's where we put them." 

Jan took charge of the interior decor, opting for neutral tones, as well as fitting out the kitchen and bathrooms. 

The kitchen - with a large island benchtop imported from Italy featuring fragments of shell set into the stone - sits at one end of the impressive north-facing dining and lounge area featuring a 19mm-thick Tasmanian oak floor. 

Stacking ranch sliders take up one wall of the lounge, which can be pulled back to open the space to the 111sq m decks and a covered outdoor eating area with built-in seating. 

At the end of an extra-wide hallway lies the master bedroom, with a walk-in wardrobe and en suite to the left and a snug to the right. 

The snug serves various purposes, acting as an office, a lounge and somewhere for the baby grandchild to sleep when visiting. 

This space, including the master bedroom, can be closed off from the rest of the house. And by sticking in a wall following the line of the hallway, it could also be easily converted into a fourth bedroom, says Graham. 

With the couple heavily involved with their grandchildren, they've decided they need to be closer to them in Auckland. But they are very reluctant to leave. 

"We've agonised over this for a while now, but it makes sense for us to be back on the North Shore," says Graham. 

Vital Statistics: 

BEDROOMS: 3 

BATHROOMS: 2 

GARAGE: +3 

SIZE: Land area 1012sq m, house 207sq m. 

PRICE INDICATION: Upwards of $1.3 million. Auction May 3. 

INSPECT: Sat/Sun 2-2.45pm. 

CONTACT: Louise Valentine, Bayleys, Manly, ph 09 428 3302 bus, 021 778 450 mob. 

FEATURES: An award-winning family-friendly home 150m from Big Manly Beach. Vast decks, landscaped section, garage fits two cars and a boat, outdoor shower, fish-cleaning bench.