SCHOOL ZONES:
Long Bay Primary, Northcross Intermediate, Long Bay College.
CONTACT:
Debs Wallace, Harcourts, 021 585 583
*Plus parking for 10 cars
Hosting 200 people for a fundraiser would have most people's homes bursting at the seams.
But that won't be the case when guests once more descend on Kelly and Michael Warton's grand residence next month for a Breast Cancer charity event.
Even if the weather cuts up rough - asit did for the event last year - their sprawling, Mediterranean-style home can easily cope with the crowd.
The Wartons bought the property two years ago for the land as much as the house because they wanted room for a pony and for their two boys to explore and blat around on motorbikes.
There is room for their dogs to roam, and son Sam has been able to have lessons on his own tennis court.
"We've always had land; we lived in Coatesville for 10 years before coming here," says Kelly.
Tucked well off the main road, the solid concrete home treats guests to a sense of arrival, coming through the touch-pad controlled electric gates, down the driveway, across a bridge over a creek, and up to the house, which has a circular driveway and is framed by formal gardens.
Michael says they engaged landscape designer Robin Shafer to design gardens in keeping with the style of the home.
"She gave a more structured, Mediterranean-look to the front of the house and did a great job planning out all the other gardens," says Michael.
44b John Brian Drive, Redvale, Rodney. Photo / Supplied
He and son Will did all the hard yards turning that vision into reality.
The two-storey home has soaring cathedral ceilings, exposed beams, tinted concrete floors, balconies, a grand staircase with a wrought-iron railing, and a large north-facing courtyard and pool accessed from the living areas.
It was originally built by Dave and Michelle Blanchard, the latter of reality TV show The Real Housewives of Auckland.
They lived in the two-storey, two-bedroom cottage across the circular driveway while the main house was built.
44b John Brian Drive, Redvale, Rodney. Photo / Supplied
The Wartons had hedging put in to create privacy between the two buildings, which comes in handy as they sometimes rent out the cottage.
"We have family coming over from Australia quite a lot so they normally stay in the cottage unless it is rented out but then there is always room in the house," says Kelly.
Inside the antique double wooden doors of the main home there is an office to the left and a true home cinema.
"It's one of the most used rooms in the house," says Michael.
44b John Brian Drive, Redvale, Rodney. Photo / Supplied
From the foyer, with its towering ceiling, you move through to the living spaces to the north. In addition to the L-shaped open-plan kitchen, dining and living room space there is a lounge and a library.
The kitchen features a cantilevered wooden breakfast bar and flows through to a dining and living space that opens to a courtyard sheltered by a pergola.
From here you can move out to the infinity pool, which has its own cabana or step up to the loggia, which has an impressive wrought-iron chandelier and adjacent open fire.
The southern wing of the house has another lounge, which used to be a bedroom, a bathroom and bedroom. From this side of the house you move through to the laundry and triple garage.
44b John Brian Drive, Redvale, Rodney. Photo / Supplied
Above the garage is a self-contained apartment with bathroom, kitchen, bedroom and lounge space, and a separate entrance.
A bridge with wrought iron railing crosses over the foyer and takes you on to the master suite heated by its own gas fire and with an en suite and walk-in wardrobe.
They had copper artist Garry Dunn create a fire surround for their master suite, and he is also responsible for some woven copper lampshades in the living area and an outdoor sculpture of a pin wheel.
