CONTACT:
Stephen Rendell, ph 021 949 394,
Barfoot & Thompson.
FEATURES:
Well laid out family home with
excellent, sunny living spaces, great views, water
access and with swimming pool and spa.
Rob and Kay Noakes' first family home was such a big investment that Rob recalls telling his wife they'd have to sell it if she fell pregnant and stopped work too soon.
Thirty three years and three children later, Rob has no doubt that the money they outlaid on their Orakei home was well spent and he has three decades of wonderful family memories to prove it.
After renting the house out for a year to cover costs, the Noakes moved in, began having their family and hatched renovation plans to maximise the potential of their home's sunny, sheltered aspect and excellent location.
Built by its previous owners in 1940 on land that slopes gently down towards the water's edge of Whakatakataka Bay, east of Hobson Bay, the weatherboard house was solid but lacked imagination.
Its living spaces faced east towards Ngapipi Rd. The bedrooms faced the water but had windows too small to make the most of spectacular view across Hobson Bay to the city and to Devonport's North Head.
The first stage of the renovations in 1983 was to switch the layout around so most of the bedrooms were on the roadside and the living spaces faced north and west, flowing easily to the outdoors. They also created a mezzanine-level family room that opens to a large deck that gets all-day sun and is overlooked by the central kitchen.
Three years later the lower level of the house, which had been used as a garage, was converted into a big, L-shaped rumpus room with sliding doors to a north-facing patio.
A workshop, bathroom, laundry with outdoor access and ample storage, plus a small wine cellar and area for camping gear and sports equipment, are also on this level.
"The idea was that the kids could have their own space to do what they wanted," says Rob.
"Kay's view was that you have a couple of tidy rooms and the rest of the house was fair game, so the kids were allowed to get away with murder down here."
Like the child-friendly house, the garden was also put to full use by the Noakes' children who all love, and have excelled at, sport.
A "series of sporting arenas", is how son Chris, who now plays first five-eighth for the Blues, describes the family's 870sq m section, which backs on to council land that goes down to the water.
The Noakes' kids and their friends had free rein of their and the neighbours' properties for their rugby games, and Whakatakataka Bay was a brilliant playground for kayaking and jet-skiing.
In 1998, the Noakes installed a cricket batting net on their lower lawn, and also put in a deep, heated swimming pool and a spa pool.
"Growing up here, we used every inch of the space on the property," says Chris.
