SCHOOL ZONES:
Cornwall Park School, Remuera Intermediate, One Tree Hill College
CONTACT:
Diana Buczkowski, 021 408 303, or Peter West, 021 939 222, Barfoot & Thompson
AUCTION:
March 23 (unless sold prior)
Carole Malcolmson can barely remember the original 1940s bungalow that she and husband Andy Greensmith bought in a leafy Greenlane street 10 years ago when their daughters Megan and Katie were small.
"It's changed so completely I find it hard to recall exactly what was where," she says.
Shortly after moving in the couple started a major renovation, which took place in a couple of stages. One of their first jobs was incorporating the separate garage -- seamlessly -- into the house, where it can now be accessed internally. A well-equipped laundry room lies to its rear.
Above the garage, the couple had a large media room built, a spot which proved popular with the girls and their friends, who held regular sleepovers there as teenagers.
Downstairs on the main level there's a formal lounge and separate dining room, complemented by an impressive entertainer's kitchen, complete with scullery and loads of storage space.
It opens out to a wraparound patio and the private, professionally landscaped garden with a generous swimming pool set in the ground just below Cornwall Park where sheep graze peacefully on the rise.
There's also a gym and an infra-red sauna and at the back of the house, another big family games room.
"The sauna's lovely for soothing tired muscles," Carole says.
In a separate wing are Carole's office (she works as a consultant to the pharmaceutical industry), an elegant Italian-style family bathroom and three bedrooms, one Megan's, one Katie's and a spare room with its own en suite.
The family has been using the six-bedroom house as four bedrooms and two offices but it's a versatile layout and there are certainly a number of other options.
Andy is in finance and his office is situated on the top floor of the dwelling with sweeping views across the city.
Image 1 of 6: All the work is done for the new owners of this big, beautiful Greenlane home. Photos / Ted Baghurst
"I have to confess that I often get distracted when there's something interesting going on out there.
As with everything in this 450sq m house, the master suite, next door, is large with plenty of space for a king-size bed, plus its own luxury bathroom and big walk-in wardrobe.
The bedroom faces the park beyond and the only creatures who can see inside are the sheep, who generally aren't very interested.
Just minutes from the Northern and Southern motorway on-ramps the house is perfectly positioned in terms of transport and there are many quality schools nearby. Supermarkets, speciality shops and cafes and restaurants abound.
Cornwall Park has played a big part in the family's life here.
"We've always regarded it as an extension of our garden. It's where we walked the dog each day and the girls used it for sports training," says Carole.
"It's hard to believe that at the front of the house you can see the busy city, while at the back it's so incredibly calm and peaceful."
With one daughter away from home already, studying at Melbourne University, the house is now too big for three people and Carole and Andy may possibly be relocating internationally themselves.
New owners will be able to move in with nothing to do.
"We took the renovations very seriously, Carole says.
"It was a huge undertaking and we didn't cut a single corner. Everything has been done using the best materials available and the decor is neutral, relaxing and utterly classic.
"I figured that it might be the only time we ever attempt such major changes to a house so we were determined to do it well."
