SCHOOL ZONES:
Vauxhall School, Belmont Intermediate, Takapuna Grammar.
CONTACT:
Linda Simmons or Toni Gregory, Barfoot, 0274 590 957 (Linda) or 021 044 3663 (Toni).
Many couples choose to downsize when their children leave home because they find themselves rattling around in a house that's way too big.
Not Shelley and Eddie Simpson. When they found themselves on their own two decades ago, it never occurred to them to sell, despite the fact they had a large home. In fact they've since increased the size by adding a separate guest suite/office.
So why have they stayed on for so long?
"Well, why would you want to leave?" says Eddie, nodding towards the uninterrupted ocean view from his lounge. "The view is what this house is all about, and even with just two of us, we never felt like it was too big."
Eddie's got a point. The house, on a premium elevated site across the road from Narrow Neck beach, is the kind of place where you put down roots. Something of a local landmark, it has a stunning outlook across the water to Rangitoto and can never be built out. Eddie and Shelley have spent many hours watching activity on the water, from kayaks and America's Cup yachts through to cruise ships.
"It never gets boring," says Eddie.
During the 23 years they've lived in the stucco home, which was built around 1915, the couple have carried out several major renovation projects that have taken advantage of the spectacular location, as well as turning the house into a contemporary family home while retaining many of the character features. When they first bought it, two bedrooms occupied the part of the house with the best outlook towards the water and they had small, poky windows that didn't do the view justice.
The kitchen and dining room were tucked away at the back of the house and the living room was dark and dingy. A small sunroom was the only place to really enjoy the outlook.
"We gutted much of the house and completely turned everything around," says Shelley. "It was a huge undertaking but it was worth it because it made such a difference. We opened up the living areas so you could see the view."
Now a living room, conservatory, dining area and kitchen all look out towards the harbour. The conservatory in particular is the perfect place to watch all the events on the water.
Image 1 of 8: Stunning ocean views from premium elevated site make this family home worth visiting for a barbecue
Shelley was keen to have a kitchen from which to see the view while preparing meals, and after much playing around with design ideas, they were able to achieve that. It's a very big space, with lots of storage, including a walk-in pantry.
The original kitchen became a bedroom, and the dining room is now a second lounge/TV room that opens to a rear deck. This deck, which can also be accessed from the dining area and kitchen, has been extended and because it catches the late afternoon sun is a great spot for barbecues.
There is also a family bathroom and a powder room/laundry on the ground floor, along with a walk-in coat cupboard that was once a toilet.
The upstairs level was added by previous owners in the 1980s. Two bedrooms up here have striking tongue-and-groove ceilings.
The master bedroom has decks to the front and rear, along with an en suite that features a roll-top bath as well as a shower.
There are two garages - a double one next to the house and a triple one on road level, which was purpose-built for Eddie, a classic and vintage car enthusiast.
It has been cleverly designed with two garage doors so it is easy to get three cars in, and there is also workshop space.
When the garage next to the house was built in 1994, the Simpsons deliberately left it with a flat roof so they could one day build on top. They did that three years ago, putting in a large self-contained room with a bathroom that has been used as a guest suite and an office.
It has doors to a covered deck that makes the most of the view. "It's the best office to work from in the world," says Eddie. "It's hard to get a lot of work done though."
The house also has a concrete basement storage area, and there's space to park a boat on a paved area beside the lower garage. Eddie and Shelley have bought another house, which has even more garaging for their cars and the fact that it is on a cliff with views out over the water makes leaving Old Lake Rd behind more bearable.
"I don't know if I could have left if I wasn't going to somewhere else with views," says Eddie. "This is a very hard house to leave."
