It's home, but not as Jim knew it

Photo / Supplied.

91 JERVOIS RD, HERNE BAY, AUCKLAND

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SIZE: Land share of 732sq m, house 180sq m (approx).

PRICE INDICATION: CV $950,000. Auction on-site 11am, October 30 (unless sold prior).

INSPECT: Sat/Sun 1pm-1.45pm.

ON THE WEB: www.bayleys.co.nz

SCHOOL ZONES: Ponsonby Primary, Ponsonby Intermediate, Auckland Girls’ Grammar, Western Springs College.

CONTACT: Karen Spires, Bayleys, ph 309 6020 or 027 273 8220.

FEATURES: Edwardian-style brick terraced home with original features, two living areas, two bedrooms and a hidden bookcase-fronted powder room. Harbour views and sheltered north-facing courtyard for entertaining.

As party tricks go, the hidden powder room in Richard and Geri Martin's home is a real show-stopper.

At the end of the downstairs hallway, a bookshelf swings open to reveal a guest toilet when you tilt a book forward.

Richard came up with the idea after deciding to make use of the void at the end of the hall.

"The school I went to in the UK was an old castle and it had secret doors and the like, so I kind of got the idea from that," says Richard. "It was a fun thing to do and the cabinetmaker enjoyed building it."

Richard agonised over what book to use as a trigger for the door mechanism, but finally settled on Edgar Allan Poe's Tales of Mystery and Imagination.

"I had a lot of suggestions about what book it should be, but when I saw that one it seemed right," he says.

Living in England until he was 12 gave Richard a love of history and that was what attracted him to Stichbury Terrace, an Edwardian-style building dating from 1915.

"It reminded me of England ... plus it was close to all the restaurants and cafes."

Richard says the two-storey brick and plaster building was built by Captain James Stichbury to house servants working at his nearby home. It came under threat in the 1980s when a church group bought it and proposed demolishing it to make way for a chapel. Local opposition forced the church to sell and the building was bought by developer Colin Manson, who turned it into four two-storey apartments.

The Martins' home is one of the middle apartments in the listed heritage building and has its living areas downstairs with a lounge that is used as a TV room to the left of the roadside entrance (with an iron grille for security).

Down the hallway and past the bookshelf is the main living and dining area, which has character features seen throughout the rest of the home such as a high stud, tiled open fireplace, matai floors, leadlight windows and exposed beam ceilings. Dark-stained wooden joinery is also prominent. Off the main living area is the kitchen, which has been renovated in the last year with a stone island bench and new stainless steel appliances. "This is a great party and entertaining house because people can move easily from the kitchen to the living area," says Richard.

Outside the kitchen and down some stairs is an enclosed north-facing patio used for entertaining. It's a sheltered and charming space with a backdrop of ficus climbing up the wall and wisteria mushrooming off the rear fence. A gate gives access to the carport, which is also draped with ficus. A small basement accommodates the laundry and a wine cellar. A beautiful wooden staircase flooded with light from a stained-glass skylight takes you to the top floor, where there are two bedrooms, one at either end of the house, joined by a wide hallway. The main bathroom, with clawfoot bath, is up here and there are also covered balconies at either end, one overlooking Jervois Rd, the other enjoying harbour views, as does the master bedroom.

Richard bought the home seven years ago as something of a bachelor pad but, having married Geri, the couple has bought a family home further up Jervois Rd. "I was tempted to hang on to it because living here has been so wonderful," he says, "but now it's time for someone else to enjoy it."