SCHOOL ZONES:
Murrays Bay School, Murrays Bay Intermediate, Rangitoto College.
CONTACT:
Nadja Court, Barfoot, 021 777 690.
Anne and John Day love that their home is the right size for them and big enough to accommodate visiting family and friends easily.
"When we first came to the house, we thought it was quite small but, when we had a good look, we realised how flexible its spaces would be," says Anne.
The couple bought their townhouse in Scarboro Terrace 10 years ago when they downsized from a larger house they had lived in for 25 years until their children left home.
When they found this house in 2005, at the height of Auckland's leaky home crisis, their building inspector assured them it would be a sound purchase.
The two-storey home was built in 1988 of cedar and brick and has a tiled roof. Its 550sq m cross-leased property faces north and the house has sea views from upstairs.
John says the property is amazingly sheltered considering its elevated position at the high end of the street, which also makes it well drained.
The home's location, just a few minutes' walk from Mairangi Bay shops and close to main bus routes, was also a major drawcard.
"We can stroll down to the village in the evening for a meal and have a few drinks without having to worry about driving," says John.
At the end of their street is access to the coastal walkway which runs from Devonport to Long Bay. and part of which they walk most weekends.
The ground floor, where you enter the house, is the main living level. It includes an open-plan kitchen and dining room, the main living room, main bathroom and separate toilet, a guest bedroom and the double garage.
Image 1 of 5: Careful thought about occupants' current and potential needs has resulted in an attractive, comfortable residence
A large separate laundry near the garage has direct access to the garden.
Aluminium bifold doors open from the living room to a northeast-facing covered deck that overlooks a well-maintained, fully fenced garden. The doors are among the many top quality fittings the Days put in the house during renovations to "future-proof" it for their retirement as they had planned to work until they were 70 then stay in this house.
"When we did the renovations everything was done to a very high standard because we intended to stay here forever," says John.
"We wanted to be able to live completely on one level if we could no longer use the stairs."
Future-proofing, including putting plenty of easily accesssible drawers into the new kitchen they installed, has ensured good lighting throughout the house, and putting a spacious shower with a handrail in the main bathroom.
The ground level works well when friends or family come to stay as they use the downstairs bedroom and bathroom and Anne and John have their own space upstairs.
This level has two bedrooms, including the master and en suite. A second living room, which the Days use as a study, has a balcony that looks over the garden, adjoins the master bedroom and has views of the sea.
With Auckland's property market so strong, the Days have done their homework and realised they can retire early if they sell up and move out of Auckland.
They have decided to move to Wanaka where they will be close enough to Queenstown's international airport for when they want to visit their children who all have settled overseas.
