This easy-living Point Wells property has given the Baker family a lifestyle revelling in the myriad water sports available around them for nearly 20 years.
Licensed builder Michael Baker and his wife Fiona, who runs their home and property maintenance company, bought here in early 2000.
Their sons, 20-year-old Brenton and 18-year-old James, lived here before leaving for tertiary study and an apprenticeship.
Fiona says: "Our boys have had very blessed lives growing up in this house in such a lovely, friendly community.
"The ocean is our life and living here has meant we've been able to spend lots of time in or on the water.
The fibrolite home is north facing. One of the earliest improvements builder Michael made was re-gibbing in order to insulate throughout. He also installed a woodburner with wetback water heating system.
They've also done other renovations and improvements, especially after moving back here a couple of months ago after living for 18 months in a home Michael had built in Warkworth.
26 Point Wells Road. Photo / Supplied
Fiona says: "This is a very easy, comfortable property for a family to live in."
They're a short walk to local parks and the beach and handy to boat ramps in both Point Wells and Omaha.
The fenced level grounds offer off-street parking plus a separate double garage adjoining a carport, where they used to keep a 6m boat.
Friends often enter through the front conservatory-style sunroom which gives a nice sense of connection to the outdoors, whatever the weather.
This flows through to the open-plan lounge-dining-kitchen with the woodburner-wetback.
Fiona says: "The lounge-dining-kitchen works really well and if you have a larger group you can open up the doors to the conservatory."
They've just replaced the original formica kitchen with a new one with stone benches.
Near the front of the house are three double bedrooms and a modernised family bathroom. The master has a walk-through wardrobe and en suite and opens to a rear deck.
Fiona says: "The way the bedrooms are set up has worked really well. When the kids were young my mother would come and stay and have the rear bedroom.
"And as the boys got older Michael and I moved into it, which gave us nice separation if they were up playing Playstation till midnight with their mates."
A small study nook and a laundry complete the layout. Water heating bills shrink, thanks to the wetback and solar panels.
The grounds include fruit trees, raised rear vegetable beds, three 19,000-litre water tanks plus an additional shed-sleepout for extra storage.
Omaha is about four minutes' drive away, Matakana and Matakana school about five minutes' drive, Warkworth around 15 minutes and Auckland an hour's drive on a good run.
Now their sons have left home the couple want to sell and explore new possibilities.
122A GLENDALE RD, GLEN EDEN** • 3+3 bedrooms, 2+1 bathroom, 2+2* parking spaces. • Land 3824sq m. • Sale: By negotiation. • Inspect: Sat 1-1.30pm. • Schools: Kaurilands and Konini Primary, Glen Eden Intermediate. • Contact: Richard Burt, Sotherby's, 021 773 187 or Stewart Morgan 021 933 305. *Plus OSP. **Two homes on single site
