Albany: House in the sun

By VICKI HOLDER.

Leaving the city for a peaceful country lifestyle doesn't have to mean farewelling the convenience of proximity to schools, shops and amenities. As proof, the owner of Casa del Sol, a tranquil Mediterranean-style retreat in Albany, says she can drop the children off to one of Auckland's top private schools, Kristin College, in just four minutes.

Shopping is handy with the Albany Mega Centre not far away and sports fanatics are well-served with the North Shore Stadium and the North Shore Golf Club a short drive away.

You wouldn't know the cosmopolitan bustle is so close when you're safely ensconced within the property, sheltered in a lush green suntrap of a valley. The large plastered home with an orange Marseilles tile roof enjoys a world of its own. Stepping gradually down the hill towards an expansive level lawn big enough for a tennis court, it could be in the hills of Florence.

From a no-exit street, a long drive sweeps around the bowl of the hill, arriving in a parking area before the triple-car garaging. Cedar doors beneath a porte-cochere between the garage and the children's bedroom wing appear to be the formal entry to the house. But they actually open to a tiled, covered passage linking the garage to an enclosed entry. From this elevated bridge-like position you gain a great outlook over the terraced outdoor living areas that extend from different areas of the house.

Half a level down from the entry foyer, behind glass-panelled cedar doors, the formal entertaining lounge is a grand room with a 3m-high stud. Elegant swags and tails in a caramel-coloured fabric dress up the french doors and windows. These doors open to a small patio reaching across a grassy lawn.

The next level down is dedicated to family living, spilling out through a wall of bifolds to a loggia that lets owners keep the doors open come rain or shine. The tiling on the floor continues further into the garden, providing a hard surface for sunny alfresco dining. When sitting down with company for lunch or dinner, parents can keep an eye on the children playing in the swimming pool below.

Through a servery, the family area adjoins a modern kitchen with Fisher & Paykel appliances and fluted glass in cedar doors. At the other end of this voluminous, barrel-vaulted space, a formal dining table lures beneath a contemporary iron and glass Italian chandelier. The space is warmed by a feature wall, painted in a caramel hue. The colour creates a contrast to the creamy hues in the rest of the area and emphasises the curve of the ceiling.

Down again, the living area continues to a large, tiled room that the owners use as a gym. But it could just as easily be used as another relaxing living area with its handy bathroom for those coming in wet from the pool. Bifold doors retract across a whole wall, opening the room to the pool terrace for a seamless flow between the terracotta-coloured tiles and tinted concrete pavers.

Three children's bedrooms come off the entry, extending in the opposite direction from the living areas. They are all double bedrooms, which share a family bathroom and separate toilet.

At the end of the day, parents retreat upstairs to a private realm that incorporates a study as well as an en suite and fitted dressing room off the bedroom. The bedroom opens out to a juliette balcony overlooking the garden, and a small window has tantalising distant city views.

The grounds surrounding the house have been landscaped extensively. The lawns are kept groomed, and plants that went in just a year ago have flourished in Auckland's balmy subtropical heat. Many vibrant bromeliads and flowering shrubs mixed with queen palms and low hedging around the borders provide an oasis-like atmosphere that will only become more impressive as the property matures.

Vital Statistics
ADDRESS: 11 Dene Court Ln, Albany.

FEATURES: Lifestyle property close to all amenities; modern, one-year-old home in Mediterranean style with plastered walls and Marseilles tile roof; three separate living areas opening to terraced gardens and pool with heat pump; separate children's wing with three bedrooms, bathroom and toilet; master suite with study, dressing room and en suite; two and a half bathrooms; full laundry; three-car garaging.

SIZE: Land area 1.133ha.

TENDER CLOSES: 4pm, March 29.

AGENT: Ron Clerke, Premium Real Estate. Ph 916 4386 bus; 021 829 839 mob.