KEY POINTS:
A waterfront home has been the perfect base for a couple raising three boys.
407 Riddell Road, Glendowie.
In Queensland there's a two-year-old boy called William who has no idea that he's the reason his grandparents are selling their water's edge home in Auckland.
William is the eldest of Brian and Juleen Walsh's four grandsons and Brian admits that he was devastated when the little lad that calls him 'Grandy' moved with his mum and dad to live in Mooloolaba last October.
"Your first grandson is really special. You just can't get it out of your system," he confesses. "And then my son took my first grandson away and it was terrible."
That tug of the heart strings and the three trips back and forth across the Tasman for visits to all their grandsons who now live in Australia has been the catalyst for a lifestyle decision for Brian and Juleen that has been shaping up for several years.
With their three sons having each excelled in careers in medicine and in finance, it was time for Brian, a financial consultant and Juleen, a retired dietitian, to listen to what the stillness of those big living areas was telling them after 18 years of the happily noisy buzz of family life. It was time for them to move on.
"This place needs a family in it and we'd really like to see another family move in here," Juleen explains.
The 1970s two-storey house has some of its original elements including the goldfish pond, the slate floor and the clinker brick feature wall in the lobby.
Timber panelling in the lobby and the stairwell has been painted in the cream tones that define the decor throughout their house.
Brian and Juleen renovated and redecorated within months of moving in, including the addition of a master en suite upstairs. They had the lower brick cladding rendered and the upper weatherboard cladding replaced with plaster to improve its looks.
Downstairs there's a big den-style family room and two bedrooms, one of which is harbourside, off a hallway that opens to a separate shower room, toilet and bathroom close to the pool.
Two stairwells - one at the front up from this den - and the other off the south-side entrance - lead up to the main living area with floor to ceiling tinted bay windows and UV filter blinds across the front face that is the casual living area and kitchen. There is excellent storage throughout, from the cupboards in the hallways to the double cupboards in the large ground floor laundry.
Brian and Juleen's dining room and the adjoining lounge - that opens to decks on two sides - are for more formal entertaining. They had the square, eight-seater glass dining table made especially for the space. "It has no legs, just a central pedestal," Brian explains. Recalling the toil of the four men whose collective muscle was required to get the glass top up the stairs and into place, he adds "The person who buys the house can buy this too if they want it."
This property extends to the water's edge beyond the shore-line pohutukawa trees that anchor the pool and garden. Panoramic views are a reminder of the geography of Auckland's inner Hauraki Gulf - from Rangitoto and Motutapu islands past Browns Island, the Noises and Motuihe to Waiheke Island and Musick Point.
A paper road through the water's edge trees and an unused grass roadway between their home and their neighbours ensure that these north and northwest facing views are protected.
All that is left for Brian and Juleen is the business of sorting what to take with them to their Australian home in Maroochydore and what to save for an apartment they plan to buy as their Auckland base.
VITAL STATISTICS
BEDROOMS: 4
BATHROOMS: 3
GARAGES: 4
SIZE: Land 807sq m, house 380sq m (approx).
PRICE INDICATION: Interest expected above the CV of $2 million. Tenders close March 6.
INSPECT: Sat/Sun 2-2.45pm.
ON THE WEB: www.barfoot.co.nz # 356195
SCHOOL ZONES: Churchill Park Primary School, Glendowie College.
CONTACT: Bob Gordon, Barfoot & Thompson St Heliers, ph 575 9079 bus; 027 475 9025 mob, 575 5880 a/h.
FEATURES: Double-storey apartment-style house with formal and informal living areas, two bedrooms and bathrooms on each level. Garaging is one double, one single and one covered carport. In-ground pool.
