Good life on city's edge in Beach Haven

28 Oruamo Pl, Beach Haven, Auckland. Photo / Geoff Dale

28 ORUAMO PL BEACH HAVEN

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SIZE: Land 1227sq m, house 235sq m.

PRICE INDICATION: Other waterfront properties have sold in the past year for $700,000 to $1 million.

INSPECT: Sat/Sun 11.45am-12.15pm.

ON THE WEB: barfoot.co.nz/451671

SCHOOL ZONES: Beach Haven School, Birkdale Intermediate School, Birkenhead College.

CONTACT: David Holton, Barfoot & Thompson Beach Haven, ph 027 546 5866.

FEATURES: Renovated 1970s architecturally designed waterfront property with five bedrooms and three living areas plus workshop and study, all over six split levels. Jetty and landing.

Roger and Brenda Twedell figured finding a home for their newly blended family would be no easy matter. With four children aged five to 15 and a family-wide love of water sports, they needed space and they wanted water's edge.

Roger had been living beside Hellyer's Creek at Beach Haven. A buyer was interested in his house but Roger instructed his real estate agent that he wasn't moving until they'd found a suitable alternative.

The agent sniffed around. Six months earlier, a water's edge property on the harbourside of Beach Haven had been taken off the market, but the owners were still interested in selling.

So Roger and Brenda jumped in the car. Brenda, though, had reservations. The five-bedroom split-level house was on a big, private waterfront section with its own jetty and mooring and was architecturally designed, but it had hardly been touched since the 1970s.

Granted, the green carpets had been replaced and the conversation pit in the lounge had been hidden under floorboards, but Brenda feared there would be a spiral staircase.

As it turned out, she was easily convinced. The sheltered north-facing house stepped down in six split-levels to a bush-clad section dropping to the water, and was designed so that almost every room took in serene harbour views towards Hobsonville and Greenhithe. The main living area consisted of a kitchen and dining room that opened up to a deck, with a lounge a few steps down. Large picture windows framed the views, with round windows adding interest.

Upstairs - across two more split levels - were a master bedroom with en suite bathroom and another large bedroom, both with soaring arched ceilings. Downstairs, two smaller bedrooms shared their own living area and a bathroom. A third large bedroom on the other side of the house had external access. And there was an office and workshop from where Roger could run his businesses.

Crucially, there was no spiral staircase.

"It was a really good design," says Roger. "Everyone could have their own space."

In the five years since Roger and Brenda bought, they've enlarged and renovated the kitchen, installing loads of storage and quality appliances to satisfy the high standards of Brenda, a trained chef.

They've also freshened up the interior. When they bought, the place was cocooned in dark wood. "It felt all dark and closed in and you lost the view," says Brenda.

They painted many of the wooden surfaces white, leaving just a few timber highlights, including a polished rimu floor in the dining room, and neutralised the wall colour. Now the view is the predominant attention-seeker.

Outside, they landscaped to give easier access to the water for their kayaks, windsurfers and boats. "It's just a matter of wandering down the path and 30 seconds later you're in the water," says Roger. "That's very hard to find in Auckland. That's why we came here."

Roger says he and Brenda like to sit on the jetty at sunset with glasses of wine. In summer they'll cool off in the water, and from February to May they can catch snapper. It's also a great spot for floundering.

The couple's next move will be to the Whangaparaoa Peninsula. They're looking at buying a big plot of waterfront land to build on, knowing it will be hard to find a house to accommodate everyone and their hobbies.