Heritage hideaway in Remuera

43 St Vincent Avenue, Remuera. Photo / Ted Baghurst.

43 ST VINCENT AVE REMUERA

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SIZE: Land 2195sq m, house 330sq m (approx).

PRICE INDICATION: CV $2.46 million (July 2008). Auction April 5 (unless sold prior).

INSPECT: Sunday 2-2.45pm or by appointment.

ON THE WEB: bayleys.co.nz/361365

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

CONTACT: Jill Pickett, Bayleys Remuera, ph 520 8888 or 021 891 078.

FEATURES: Solid 1920s home in top school zones with multiple living spaces, sweeping urban views, pool, spa, sauna, tennis court and lovely gardens.

When searching for a family home more than three decades ago, the Taylors were captivated by this property's extras, including pool, spa, tennis court, sauna and billiard table.

Ken and Kris Taylor were expecting their third child 32 years ago and that prompted them to go hunting for a larger home than the two-bedroom Remuera house they were living in. They discovered a 2195sq m property secreted up a long driveway, which ensured passersby were oblivious to its scale.

"We saw the swimming pool, the spa pool, the sauna and tennis court and just said 'wow'," Kris says. "We were sold on all the extras."

Ken recalls thinking, "this is a house we could really make something of". And indeed the mid-1920s home grew as their family did, as they extended it to encompass five bedrooms and multiple living areas. All the while they were conscious of making the most of the great views over the eastern suburbs.

They heard a bit about the home's history after a knock at the door by two sisters whose father built the house. "Apparently the billiard table was lifted in on a cherry-picker before the roof was put on."

Up the driveway, a big, fenced tennis court precedes the home. Kris fondly remembers it functioning as a playground for her children and their local friends who happily pottered around it on their bikes. It's floodlit, with good drainage, but is due for a resurface.

As well as off-street parking up by the house, you can park three cars in the garage under the home.

The home's brass plate, Wharekoa, means "happy home". A covered front veranda brings visitors to the front door and into a lovely wood-lined foyer. A hearty Jetmaster fire flanked by box seats concealing firewood storage is a highlight of the two front living rooms, as are wide views from Mt Wellington round past the Ellerslie Racecourse. "You can actually see the Bombay Hills on a clear day," Kris says.

The Taylors have developed a generous rear kitchen-dining-family room with flow to the poolside deck.

There is also a laundry and separate toilet towards the rear of the home, and a shower accompanies the sauna room.

The three bedrooms on this level all look out to the pool.

The master suite has a walk-through wardrobe to an en suite and an adjoining lounge with a neat line-up of concertina windows in dimpled glass.

The family bathroom has recently been renovated.

Upstairs, another living room opens to a balcony and proudly contains the home's original billiard table. There are two more bedrooms, plus a storage room which could be developed into a bathroom.

The Taylor children adored the swimming pool with its adjacent spa pool. Kris fondly recalls an entire Cub pack squeezing into the spa and her sons and other Cubs being coached in the pool for their swimming badges.

The pool area is paved in lovely heritage bricks, which the Taylors diligently collected from demolition sites.

The couple give their gardeners full credit for the beautifully tended gardens, which accompany generous lawn and are a real asset to the property.

Ken and Kris know their grown-up children are nostalgic about the sale of their family home, but it's really too big for just the two of them and is ready for another family to enjoy.