Panmure - Rite of passage

A pair of keen boaties set to with a paintbrush in their waterside house and created a home bursting with colour.

98B Ireland Road, Panmure.

It was lifestyle pure and simple that Murray Walbran had in his sights when he saw this water's edge property from his yacht on the Panmure basin.

He had often lazily cast his eye round the homes that encircle this pretty recreational spot, so when this one appeared with a For Sale sign attached, he figured that a bachelor boatie's life couldn't get much better.

The package looked complete, with a boat ramp at the bottom of the cul-de-sac and a commuter train station two minutes' walk away.

The near-new, steel-framed house had been decorated in safe neutral tones throughout and Murray hadn't given any thought to doing anything creative with the paintbrush, until he met Amanda soon afterwards.

The couple are in partnership both on the water, racing yachts, and in their business life, so they decided to do a decorating rite of passage together as well.

Amanda wanted the house to feel more homely. Murray wanted to see the separate dining room and lounge turned into one big room opening through ranch sliders to the deck that runs the length of the house.

Along the way, they discovered the challenges of translating small paint chart swatches into whole walls full of intense colour.

``That took me right out of my comfort zone,'' Murray recalls.
They also learned that some mistakes are just ``meant to be''.

When they opened a tin of orange paint, they realised that they'd ordered the wrong colour but, well, what the heck, Amanda rolled it onto the kitchen feature wall anyway.

Murray worked his way along another feature wall in the living area with a tray loaded with indigo blue.

They loved the results of that afternoon's joint effort, and the blast of orange moved them to go with a matching glass splashback behind the hob.

Also upstairs is the master bedroom, with en suite and dressing room, in which Amanda used two tones of green beside the off-white walls.

The master bedroom shares the expansive waterside deck - a favourite spot for relaxing overlooking the local beach and park.

There are two other bedrooms on the upper storey. Downstairs, there are two more bedrooms, a bathroom and a big casual lounge that opens out to a courtyard that is part of the fully fenced, landscaped grounds.

The house is airy and welcoming throughout, and Murray and Amanda have used wall space to display favourite artworks with an eye for scale and proportion that suits the generous size of the rooms.

The double garage is on the upper level by the front door. A single garage is on the lower level beside a large workshop that could be used for cellaring wine, or turned into a home theatre.

But Murray and Amanda will leave those ideas to the new owners. They and their two-year-old daughter Beau are downsizing now that Murray's older children have grown up.

There's also a new lifestyle focus on the horizon in the shape of a spot near Hatfields Beach, and a dreamed-of yacht trip to Fiji with Beau before she starts school.

VITAL STATISTICS

BEDROOMS: 5

BATHROOMS: 3

GARAGES: 2+

SIZE: Land half share of 1175sq m; house 336sq m.

PRICE INDICATION: Interest expected above 2005 CV of $700,000. Auction August 13.

INSPECT: Sat/Sun 11am-noon.

ON THE WEB: www.homesell.co.nz #5329

CONTACT: Amanda and Murray Walbran, ph 021 530 017, marketed by Homesell.

FEATURES: Waterfront, two-storey home. Deck off the lounge, dining and master bedroom. Lower level lounge and two bedrooms open to landscaped, fenced courtyard.