Freedom to run, play and think

58 Richmond Road, Ponsonby. Photo / Michelle Hyslop

58 RICHMOND RD, GREY LYNN

3

1

1*

SIZE: Land 278sq m; house approx 113sq m.

PRICE INDICATION: Similar properties have sold upwards of $1 million. Auction February 19 at 1.30pm (unless sold prior).

INSPECT: Sat/Sun 1-1.30pm.

ON THE WEB: www.barfoot.co.nz/513255

SCHOOL ZONES: Richmond Road School, Ponsonby Intermediate, Auckland Girls' Grammar, Western Springs College.

CONTACT: Leonie Stabler, Barfoot & Thompson Mt Eden, ph 021 945 947 or (09) 638 9158.

FEATURES: *1 gated off-street space. Renovated villa with second living space/TV room, gas central heating, good storage and open-plan rear spilling out to deck and private level grounds.

Couple Emily Smart and Susan Glasgow have maximised liveability and outdoor space in what once felt like a little villa on a jam-packed section.

"The big thing that we hear is, 'It's a lot bigger on the inside than it looks on the outside,"' says Emily. Susan chips in: "People are really surprised by the sense of space."

The pair admit they had different initial responses to the circa-1900s villa, which looked very different than it does today when they first saw it more than three years ago.

Copywriter Emily, who is the primary caregiver to their daughter Elliott, 8, and their twin boys Kip and Rudy, 6, was content that it had a usable kitchen and a simple bathroom for their brood.

Susan, who fundraises for the University of Auckland's Business School, felt the incumbent floor plan wasn't very family-friendly, even though she represented the couple at the auction.

"We were renting in Lincoln St [in Ponsonby], our daughter had already started at Richmond Road School and we didn't want to move her," Susan explains.

"We wanted to live somewhere close to the city where the kids would find other liberal-minded families like our own, and we could afford it here. Plus, I do like a good project."

Within a few weeks of moving into the villa, which had yellow weatherboards and blue trim at the time, Susan was itching to make changes. They reconfigured much of the layout through Richard Craig Design & Construction, completely redecorated, upped storage and windows, renovated the bathroom and altered the kitchen and landscaping.

Having previously owned a London home together, they agreed on the wisdom of installing gas central-heating but another addition was more controversial. "There was no hallway when we bought here, and Susan and I spent many hours bickering about the fact she wanted to reinstate one," Emily recalls with a smile.

"Of course she got her own way, and it works brilliantly - but I didn't say that!"

Behind their front picket fence, the kids' swing hangs from a robinia tree. Paired posts support the veranda and there's a precious, gated-off street-parking spot.

They marvel at how much the area has come ahead in the last three years, with Ponsonby Central now thriving on the corner of their road.

Wooden floorboards grace most of the home. Two of the three bedrooms have French doors to the front veranda, and none feel poky.

"We built floor-to-ceiling storage in all the bedrooms and put drawers inside so there didn't need to be superfluous furniture taking up space," says Susan.

A cavoodle, Magnus, and cat, Otis, make up the family of seven who curl up watching television in the second living area/TV room, handy to the renovated bathroom.

Susan says: "The back of the house is great for entertaining and we've often got people over."

Image 1 of 6: 58 Richmond Road, Ponsonby. Photo / Michelle Hyslop

The sunny rear lounge/dining/kitchen with dual ovens can be shut off from the rest of the house. Its two sets of French doors open to a deck with storage underneath, and wide stairs down to a level lawn.

The backyard with elevated playhouse enjoys privacy thanks to a perimeter of pleached trees, but they've made it very open and usable within.

The family are selling as the twin boys now want a bedroom each. "We absolutely love this house," says Emily. "If we didn't have to accommodate our growing family, we'd be staying right here."