Gracious tribute to TLC in Remuera

13 Platina St, Remuera. Photo / NZ Herald

13 PLATINA ST REMUERA

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SIZE: Land 910sq m, house 353sq m.

PRICE INDICATION: Interest expected over $2 million. Tender closes 4pm, December 15

INSPECT: Sun 3-3.30pm or by appointment.

ON THE WEB: www.barfoot.co.nz/ 445005

SCHOOL ZONES: Remuera Primary, Remuera Intermediate, Auckland Grammar, Epsom Girls' Grammar.

CONTACT: Steve Koerber, Barfoot & Thompson, ph 021 864 166.

FEATURES: Beautifully renovated, spacious, northwest-facing family home close to motorway entrances, schools and Remuera shops.

Not many people can tell you straight off exactly how big their home is.

Retired engineer Warwick Hall knows his is 353sq m - a telltale sign of the attention to detail that he and wife Colleen have put into their beautifully designed and maintained family home.

Warwick and Colleen - who is known as Sam to her friends and neighbours in the Halls' close-knit local community - have lived in Platina St for two decades.

They moved from a small, ex-state house in Orakei after the youngest of their three sons was born and they needed room for their growing family.

"It was a bit of a far cry to come to a six-bedroom house from a two-bedroom one, but we knew this house was a great investment and that we would be here for the long haul," says Warwick.

A previous owner had already put a second floor on the 1928 bungalow, which still has original features including oak-panelled doors and simple leadlight feature windows, so the Halls did not need to change the basic footprint of the house. Over the years they have renovated in stages to create larger rooms, a better internal flow and, most recently, a stunning outdoor room or "lanai" that leads on to the level, west-facing garden from the back of the house.

Five years ago they also added a double garage and workshop to the back garden with a loft above it that includes a large double bedroom, kitchen and bathroom.

Like the main house, this building is perfectly positioned on the 910sq m section to take advantage of the sun and views over the garden, which has been formally planted but has a relaxed, friendly feel.

Auckland landscaper Craig Steiner of Strass Landscape Developers did the hard landscaping, which matches the high-quality look and feel of the whole property.

Landscape designer Barbara Garrett devised a strong, simple planting plan including corokia hedging, standard burgundy and pink iceberg roses, mass plantings of Christmas lilies and white hydrangeas. Behind the garage is a productive vegetable patch and orchard.

The loft is ideal for teenagers or guests and would make a roomy, separate home office.

Not that the main house lacks space. The ground floor includes an elegant and well-proportioned formal front lounge and dining room that flow through to the sunny farmhouse-style kitchen, breakfast area and out to the paved patio and lanai.

This level also has two bedrooms, including the master bedroom and en suite, a third bedroom which has been converted into an office and a large bathroom that encompasses the laundry and is conveniently close to the back garden.

Upstairs are another lounge, bathroom and three more bedrooms, including two doubles that open on to private, sheltered, north-facing balconies.

The Halls' house is almost straight across the road from Remuera Primary and is also within easy walking or driving distance to several schools, including Auckland Grammar, Epsom Girls' Grammar, Kings School and Diocesan School for Girls.

A cut-through lane that runs down the side of one of the neighbouring houses means Remuera village is only about 400m away.

The Halls know just about everyone in their small, friendly street and will miss their neighbours, as well as living in a timelessly decorated house that looks great and works so well.

But now that their sons have grown up, they plan to build a new house in Omaha and buy a smaller "lock-up and leave" house in Auckland.