Legacy of love and laughter in Epsom

10 Pukenui Rd Epsom. Photo / David White

10 PUKENUI RD EPSOM

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SIZE: Land 1280sq m, house 181sq m (approx).

PRICE INDICATION: CV $1.28 million. Auction October 27.

INSPECT: Saturday/Sunday 1pm-1.30pm.

ON THE WEB: www.barfoot.co.nz/441627

SCHOOL ZONES: Royal Oak Primary, Auckland Normal Intermediate and Onehunga High School.

CONTACT: Diana Buczkowski and Peter West, Barfoot & Thompson, ph 520 6221 or 021 408 303 (Diana) or 021 939 222 (Peter).

FEATURES: 1913 villa with period features, ready to be restored to its former glory. In a quiet, no-exit street close to Cornwall Park and Greenwoods Corner.

Happy memories fill every room of the home Helen Spencer grew up in. In the hall, she remembers having races with her sister, Jean, and brother, Richard, in which they propelled themselves on their stomachs along the floor using their elbows.

In the spacious kitchen she remembers doing her homework at the kauri table while her mother cooked dinner. And in the dining room next door, memories flood back of the formal Christmas lunches held every year.

"It's such a wonderful family home," says Helen. "We couldn't have asked for a better place to grow up."

In fact, the Pukenui Rd house has been the Spencer family home for 61 years. Helen's parents bought it in 1949 and were only the second owners since it was built about 1913. After Arthur died in 1983, Margot, who hailed from Guernsey in the Channel Islands, resolutely stayed put until her death earlier this year at 96.

Margot didn't do much in the way of maintenance in those latter years and the house is showing its age. However, beautiful original features, like lovely fireplaces, sash windows and a claw-foot bath, have been preserved.

The woodwork throughout is impressive, from the doors and floors to the architraves and beamed ceiling in the lounge. The formal dining room has an elegant wooden fireplace with carvings that is a legacy from a bygone era.

Steps lead to the spacious covered front porch, and the front door, which has original leadlight windows, opens to the very wide central hallway. Off to the right is the master bedroom, which has a bay window and French doors opening on to the porch. Next to it is Helen's former room, which also has a bay window. Across the hall, at the front of the house, is the living room and behind it the formal dining room, with an extremely large bay window complete with three-sided window seat.

At the end of the hall is the third bedroom, and next to it an office. The bathroom and a separate toilet, with tongue-and-groove walls and that original old bath, complete this rear corner of the house. In the back left corner is the roomy kitchen, which was the hub of the house, says Helen.

French doors open from the kitchen to a sunroom at the back of the north-west facing house. "This was our playroom - it was always lovely and sunny."

Off the sunroom is a big laundry and storage area, and next to it a freestanding single garage.

The big back garden has been a delight for children and gardeners. "There used to be a pepper tree which we climbed before we graduated to the big pohutukawa out the front," says Helen.

Unfortunately, the pohutukawa fell over six years ago and the pepper tree's long gone, but a grapefruit tree and sizeable vegetable patch remain.

At the end of the no-exit street is Cornwall Park, another great spot for kids to expend some energy. "It's been a magical place for our family but now it's time for another family to love it," says Helen.