Clevedon: Stately presence

VICKI HOLDER takes a trip to Clevedon to check out a grand, English-style home where the emphasis is on family living.

A majestic pastoral property tucked away in Clevedon cried out for a home with grand presence to do justice to the wide, open, country views.

Having lived in the Howick/Pakuranga district for many years, owners Jill and Geoff McCormick fell in love with the peaceful beauty of the area. The property was closer to the motorway access than where they'd come from, and much easier to get to without having to fight with the rush hour.

Then there was the outlook reaching across paddocks with covenanted native bush rising on hills on one side and vineyards moving across the distant slopes. Slightly elevated and tilting gently north, the property was well-positioned for the sun with good drainage. Such a setting seemed perfect for a classical, large English country house, says Geoff.

When they built the home in 1993, the McCormicks had two teenage sons who needed lots of space. With large, flowing formal and family living spaces, the stately, six-bedroom home suits the family's lifestyle, which involves plenty of entertaining, usually for big crowds. An impressive, light-filled, double-height entry foyer welcomes guests in from the cold to Hinuera stone tiles warmed by underfloor heating. The whole ground floor benefits from this form of heating, where the cost is offset by a wetback that's part of the log fire in the family area.

The entry opens to the formal dining room leading through double doors to a large formal lounge that steps out to a terrace. Internal doors feature bevelled glass panels to bring light into the different areas. There's a calm, understated feel to the lounge, which has white timber joinery and skirtings in keeping with the traditional style of the home. Elegant drapes hang from rods to soften the quarterpane windows, and a traditional fireplace surround makes a statement against the wall. Wallpaper rather than paint adds formality. Each room complements the next in soft, buttery stripes.

Drapes were forgotten in the family area, which has the sunny, light feel of a conservatory as windows and doors spill out into a bay. Carpets give way to American oak floors in this large room, where the hub is a large kitchen designed to accommodate several people at once. A PABX phone system with a pager and intercom connected to every room means Jill can stand in the kitchen and call everybody to dinner, without raising her voice.

Although the house has two storeys, it was designed so the family could live in the home without venturing upstairs at all. All the main living areas, family bedrooms, the office and storage are downstairs. The master bedroom suite is at one end and the boys' bedrooms and the family bathroom are at the other - which is soundproofed so Jill and Geoff aren't distracted by noisy music.

But all that extra space beneath a tall, pitched roof had to be put to good use. Upstairs, there's a sunny library opening to a balcony that looks out over the farmlet. A huge games room plumbed for a kitchenette or bar proved a winner with the boys and their friends. And two large guest bedrooms with a semi-en suite between them are an advantage when guests come for dinner and end up staying to avoid the late journey home. Linked directly by stairs to the triple-car garaging below, one of the bedrooms offers flexible options as an office, teenager's or nanny's apartment.

The home and property were planned with much forethought. Fully alarmed and monitored with perimeter security on all windows and doors, the house feels safe. But the McCormicks also laid down a lot of extra cabling so that electric security gates could be installed later, if required.

An abundant supply of water is provided by three tanks, and there's natural water on the property for stock. There's also three-phase power to the house.

The McCormicks' previous home never had enough storage, but this home has so much - particularly in the roof - that it has never been fully utilised.

Vital Statistics

ADDRESS: 11 Tyldens Rd, Clevedon.

FEATURES: Large, fully fenced, traditional-style, six-bedroom home on lifestyle property; close to Clevedon village and adjacent to Ryburn Park Polo Grounds; large formal and casual living areas; games room; library; four bathrooms; three-car garaging; excellent water supply; bush backdrop; monitored perimeter alarm system; PABX system with pager and intercom; underfloor heating on ground floor connected to wetback system to offset power costs; oven on LPG and electric.

SIZE: 13.3ha.

AUCTION: 2pm, September 27, on site.

AGENT: John Ryburn and David Stephens, Were Realty, Clevedon. Ph 292 8348 bus, John 0274 775 433 mob; David 025 907 022 mob.