SCHOOL ZONES:
Stanley Bay School, Belmont Intermediate, Takapuna Grammar.
CONTACT:
Larry Banks, Bayleys, 021 444 124.
*Plus off-street
Sometimes Aucklanders get so caught up in all the moaning about property, traffic and governance they forget why this city is such a great place to live. Only when you see the place through foreigners' eyes do you get a little perspective. Certainly, Dutch couple Marc and Desiree Andriessen, who arrived here in 1996, figured out some of the best bits of our town when they bought their waterside home, tucked down a right of way on Stanley Point.
"We'd lived in other places around Auckland but, when we came back from Dunedin five years ago, we realised we had to be back near the water," says Marc. "We wanted a lifestyle where we could walk or bike, where we can watch the activity on the water. We found it here."
"There's always things happening out there: the Navy coming and going, the big cruise ships, even the container wharf is interesting," says Desiree of their sea view. "It's much nicer than a static view. We're right up close to everything."
The couple also brought their European consciousness about sustainable living, too, when they embarked on renovations of the 1985 house. The section for this and the town house below them had been carved off a larger property, and the houses were all carefully sited to not obstruct each other's sun and views. But, like many houses of the era, they were energy hogs.
"We totally renovated in 2013. A lot of the stuff we did was hidden. We brought the house into this century, with insulated walls and ceilings, new flooring. Both the flat-roofed decks were taken back, resurfaced to make everything completely waterproof before we put new decking on," points out Marc. Certainly the building changes you can see -- immaculate, fresh paintwork and carpets, new driveway, gates, sheds and LED lighting have brought the building right up to modern day.
The couple were working on a house that had good bones with a great layout of living rooms on the view side, private bedrooms at the back, a great master suite upstairs and a sloping garden that created its own subtropical microclimate. They redid the family and master suite bathrooms with cork flooring for eco cred, top end fixtures, all trimmed with stylish tile.
They didn't have to make any changes to the kitchen, newly installed when they bought, as its layout allowed the cook to take in the sea views and stay connected to family and friends in the dining and living rooms, and it was clearly designed for folks with lots of things to store.
Image 1 of 8: The 'location, location, location' adage could easily be about this beautiful property
The living room stays cosy with a fireplace and a heat pump, although the super insulation means there is barely any call for the latter in winter.
The Andriessens made the most of their outdoor living. As well as the super-sized deck off the living room, with sheltering roof for Auckland's variable weather, they created a series of decks and stairs off the formerly wasted eastern side of the property. Their son's bedroom and the utility rooms open to a compact deck with terraces down to the lower lawns. It's a charming spot for breakfast as it collects the sun until the middle of the day, while stairs wrap around a series of compact garden beds.
These gardens have prompted the family's move: they have so loved growing their own food they want to move to the country to do the whole self-sustaining lifestyle with land, chickens, the whole dream, after their son finishes at Takapuna Grammar.
If the views from the living level are good, from the upstairs master suite they are spectacular. It has its own deck, with privacy screens and glass roofing to form a second outdoor room. As well as wardrobes and bathroom, there is also a handy study up here that would make an ideal nursery or retreat. Storage is tucked everywhere.
The location is everything the family had hoped for. They love to walk into Devonport, or take the off-road cycle trail to Takapuna.
The combination of ferry and bus gets them to Auckland Airport in half the time it takes to drive, but they love the way that with only one main road in and out, the point is safe and secure.
Sea views, parks, plenty of interesting things to see and do within walking distance -- it is easy to see the upside of life in the big city.
