"And we wanted a house with a pool or space for a pool."
So this Arts and Crafts style home, designed by British-born architect Benjamin Chilwell and built for Archibald and Euphemia Stewart in 1909, fit the bill perfectly.
The only issues when the family moved in more than five years ago were that parts of the home had been altered or built in and some of the rooms lacked flow and natural light.
With the help of heritage specialists Salmond Reed Architects, the aim was to reinstate and restore original character elements while creating a comfortable family home in a beautiful setting of mature trees.
As Claire explains: "We wanted to upgrade it with respect to its heritage but you don't want to live like it's 1909 so there were some compromises because you still want your modern comforts."
She says having historic photographs of the exterior and memoirs from one of the original occupants was a huge help in returning the home to its former glory.
"We had no photos of the interior of this house but we did have some photos of other interiors of Benjamin Chilwell."
Before the house was renovated, the garden at the rear was landscaped and an in-ground swimming pool with spa pool tucked in the corner was installed towards the northern boundary.
With the help of Rosalie Stanley of Salmond Reed, a major renovation, which took about nine months, was started in October 2013.
"We lived in the garage loft while they did the renovations and that was probably the most done-up part of the property then," says Claire.
Work carried out included returning the elegant arched front porch to its former glory and opening up the north-facing, double-storey verandah, which had been built in to provide more living space. The central foyer, staircase and landing were rebuilt sympathetically, with skylights being added over the landing.
Image 1 of 6: Double grammar-zone character home with restored original elements comes with a distinct sense of ease. Photos / Ted Baghurst
"With four bedrooms on this top floor, each in the corner, we wanted to bring more light into the middle of the house," Claire explains.
The layout of the ground floor was reworked to provide better flow and a conservatory on the west-facing rear of the house was removed and replaced with a wide deck that flows out to the garden and swimming pool.
Combined with the high stud, the more open plan layout gives the house a sense of ease while still displaying character features such as panelled walls, coffered ceilings, multipaned fanlights over casement windows and stained timber floors.
A stone-topped island bench/breakfast bar is the centrepiece of a kitchen designed by Anita Maes, of Bella Cassita.
The splashback featuring an assortment of graphic monochrome tiles was a family effort.
"We had a box of tiles and laid them out on the table and shifted them around until we thought it looked right," says Claire.
Interior designer Helen Wilcock, of design.spec, helped with the colour schemes and the lighting -- some vintage, some more modern -- but a statement in itself, no more so than in the main lounge with its drum-like pendant lights.
Doors open from the kitchen through to the lounge, while the formal dining room is off to one side of the kitchen
To the left of the rear deck is a studio with en suite. "This used to be the messy space where the kids did their art and stuff," says Claire.
"It could be used as an office because it has a separate entrance."
Upstairs the master bedroom has bifold windows that can be thrown back to open up the view to the west, while the verandah has views over the swimming pool and across the suburb.
Sitting to the eastern side of the swimming pool, the garage has a large loft with dormer windows and a timber sarked ceiling.
With a kitchenette and bathroom, this becomes a self-contained space for guests.
"The great thing about this house is there are so many nooks and crannies you can hide away in," says Claire.
"I've loved living on Coronation Rd with all the trees, and it is so quiet."
