Papatoetoe - Crafted with care

A largely original arts and crafts bungalow is packed with charming features and big enough for a large family.

3 Woolfield Road, Papatoetoe.

Denise Payne first saw this house on a grey, misty day in 2002, and thought it looked magical.

``I just stood at the gate and thought `Wow', then walked up to the front porch and saw the original tiles, the windows out to the garden and the curved front door and thought `Wow'. I was sold before I even got inside.''

It's true that this 1924 bungalow has gorgeous street appeal, sitting comfortably back in its park-like section framed by a giant liquidambar.

A vine covering the exterior chimney that rises up the front of house gives the impression of an English country house.

But it's when you get inside that you begin gasping with delight at the many arts and crafts touches.

Doors made of cedar and bevelled leadlight glass slide back into wall cavities to reveal the dining room on the right of the entry foyer, and the lounge on the left.

An intricate leadlight bay window dominates the dining room, and is complemented by two smaller windows on the other outside wall.

``When the sun shines through them they throw rainbows all over the room,'' says Denise.

A woodburner warms this room, adding to the glow of the wood-panelled walls. A bronze light fitting with frosted glass in a marble design matches one in the foyer.

They, and the metal chandelier in the lounge with matching wall lights that can be turned on or off with little chains, are thought to have been in the house since it was built.

The large, elegant lounge has an inglenook - a recessed space containing an open fire, seating and leadlight windows and wall cabinets.

There is even a still life painted directly onto the wall above the mantlepiece. A long seat under the room's main bank of windows offers a spot to relax in the sun.

Off the lounge is a sunroom, with bifold windows to allow the breeze through in summer. These three rooms run the length of the northwest front of the house.

Along the back are the kitchen, still with its original coal range, three large bedrooms and a bathroom. There is another bedroom off the kitchen, and a deck that catches the morning sun.

Denise and her husband Stewart say the house has soaked up the comings and goings of four of their five sons, and they understand the family which lived here before them was also large.

The father of that clan worked for a carpet company, and the thick, richly patterned floor coverings are his legacy, still looking good after more than 20 years.

The garden is edged with magnificent tall trees, a mixture of natives and exotics.

There is a puriri, a totara, a backhousia with lemon-scented leaves, two camellias, two Japanese maples, a chorisia from Brazil with thorns up its trunk, a Virginia creeper, Boston ivy, wisteria, a grapefruit tree, an apple tree, vegetable and flower gardens.

Stewart says he's enjoyed the large, flat section after their previous house in Meadowbank, which was on a slope.

``We moved to downsize our mortgage, but being out here hasn't been a problem,'' says Stewart. ``We're within walking distance of the train station, buses, and it's only 20 minutes into town off peak.''

A change in family circumstances means the family is moving on, but Denise and Stewart will miss this home.

``There's something about its proportions that make it feel very welcoming,'' says Denise.

VITAL STATISTICS

BEDROOMS: 4

BATHROOMS: 1+

GARAGES: 2

SIZE: Land 1690sq m, house 220sq m.

PRICE INDICATION: CV (2005) $450,000. Auction September 7.

INSPECT: Sat/Sun/Wed 1-2pm.

ON THE WEB: www.barfoot.co.nz #344837

CONTACT: Rodney Latu, Barfoot & Thompson, ph 027 411 8760, 278 3024 bus.

FEATURES: 1924 arts and crafts bungalow at the end of a cul-de-sac, with many original features intact. Sunroom, open fire and woodburner. Large, flat section. Close to train station and shopping centre.