SCHOOL ZONES:
Stanley Bay School, Belmont Intermediate and Takapuna Grammar.
CONTACT:
Shelley Menalda, 021 190 1344, Matthew Smith, 021 924 435, Ray White.
TENDER:
Closes Dec 9.
Twenty-six years ago, Nigel Caigou stood in the living room of this charming Stanley Point villa and thought to himself, "yes, we'll buy this place".
The owner was intent on selling her long-time home to a family, so Nigel made sure to get his wife Anne, and their then preschool-aged children over for a viewing.
Two days later, it was theirs. The Caigous had recently moved to Auckland and were intent on buying a heritage home.
"It had to be quiet, private and sunny," Nigel says. "You could get some of those things on the other side of the harbour bridge, but you couldn't get quiet as everything seemed to be a couple of streets away from a main road."
He hadn't heard of Stanley Point before and was delighted this house met all the criteria, as it was "on a dead-end street, off a dead-end street". When the family moved in there was a picket fence, but no gate. Nigel wanted to put a gate in to keep children Chris, now 29 and Rachael, 27, safe. But he soon realised there was no need.
"Because there's no through-traffic, it's really safe. As preschoolers, the kids could wander out and meet other young kids."
Nigel's been known to stand in the middle of the road himself over the years, having beers and nattering to neighbours who have become friends. It's a great community, with many locals getting to know each other as they catch the Stanley Bay ferry to the city.
Nigel describes their double garage on the road-front, with its higher-than-usual stud height and room to store windsurfers and other sports gear, as his "centre of activity".
Image 1 of 6: 3 First Avenue, Devonport. Pictures/Supplied
The deck that occupies the northern side of the house is "the centre of social activities". The Caigous like to entertain. In summer, they pass food from the kitchen to the deck and its outdoor dining table. In winter, and at the end of the day, they can relax in the elegant separate living room, where Nigel first vowed to buy this home.
They've made improvements over the years, all in keeping with the heritage style they love and respect. Nigel and Anne both believe in no half measures.
"Wait until you can afford to buy the best and then look after it," Nigel says.
You can see this philosophy throughout their home, from the "big and grunty" central heating system to the 900mm Ilve cooker in the kitchen and the quality of the tiles in the home's three bathrooms.
The couple commissioned colour expert Peta Tearle to design a timeless scheme for the house and Nigel sings the praises of their builder, Graeme Hutchison.
The Caigous have carefully sourced original period lights, including a spectacular porcelain pendant over the dining table and Moroccan lamps in the hall.
Two of the bedrooms have en suites and open through French doors to the deck. Anne uses the fourth bedroom as her office for her work as an occupational therapist.
The main bedroom looks out over the return veranda to the formal front garden and its fountain. Several years ago, the Caigous replaced the picket fence with one that affords them more privacy.
At the rear of the section is the couple's magnificent potager garden and citrus grove. "Last year we got 6kg of cherry tomatoes from just two plants," Nigel says with pride.
Recently Chris told his father how lucky he felt to grow up in such a great spot, so close to the water. Now, with the kids gone from home, Nigel and Anne are looking for a place for the two of them.
