Son Ashton, now 6, was born, joining sister Zara, now 12, and brother Matthew, 10. Andrew put the persuasive skills he'd honed pursuing Starship sponsorship to the test, convincing their landlord to let them buy the property, which wasn't for sale. "First of all he said, 'No, definitely not', but I just kept hounding him and eventually he agreed to sell."
Their 2003 home is just down the road from sought-after Maungawhau School, which the family have found to have a close-knit and social school community. "People around here care about each other and take an interest in one another," says Andrew. Being so handy, the school grounds have operated as a back-up to their own yard with the bonus of a school pool the Youngs have had the key to every summer.
Their two-storey home down a driveway is constructed in brick and weatherboard, with a couple of front accents in plaster (over a cavity). A peaceful side courtyard supplements the level rear lawn and there's off-street parking outside the internal-access double garage.
"The rooms flow beautifully," says Andrew, mentioning they'd hosted up to 100 people here for Starship events. The lounge adjoins an open-plan kitchen-dining-family room flowing to rear grounds. "In summer, the sliding doors here are pushed back all the time and Jens is often creating something amazing in the kitchen. And we've always had these brilliant high hedges which give us so much privacy."
Andrew likes gardening and reckons the grounds here are a good size for anyone who wants to balance an occasional potter with lots of time left to enjoy themselves. The flat rear lawn with garden shed is big enough for the kids' trampoline, play space and a vege-herb patch.
Friends often sit along the kitchen's stone bench with a pre-dinner drink watching Jennifer, an HR Manager at Sanitarium, cook up a storm. Andrew sometimes works from home now he's a management consultant and this level's home office can alternately be a fifth bedroom.
There's a bathroom, separate laundry and under-stair storage nearby.
The house has DVS, central vacuum and instant gas hot water systems, gas bayonets for heating and programmable under-floor heating in its two upstairs bathrooms.
"The whole upstairs is an absolute suntrap," says Andrew.
The master bedroom with walk-in wardrobe, en suite and balcony is preceded by a sunny lounge nook where Andrew likes to quietly read or steal a nap after long-distance running. Three more double bedrooms and a family bathroom with spa-bath complete the upstairs.
The couple renovated an Art Deco apartment before their villa. Their stretch of low-maintenance living here has recharged their batteries so well they're ready to embark on a 70s renovation in Epsom.
