SCHOOL ZONES:
Western Springs College, Mt Albert Grammar School, Auckland Girls’ Grammar School, Kowhai Intermediate, Newton Central School.
CONTACT:
Robyn Ellson, Ray White, 021 800 891.
AUCTION:
January 28.
Beth and Michael Walsh were so picky when looking for their first home together that their real estate agent wondered if they would ever find a property that suited them.
After six months of intensive searching, mainly in Grey Lynn and Kingsland, the couple bought this elevated property because of its sunny aspect and attractive, L-shaped section which has two street entrances and driveways.
Michael says they also liked that the early 1900s transitional villa, on the corner of Kingsland and Fourth Ave, was in fairly original condition and had not been 'messed about' with by previous owners.
The original 90sq m house had matai and rimu floors, board and batten ceilings, two good-sized bedrooms, its original double fireplace and an appealing north to northwest aspect.
After doing minor alterations initially to make the house easier to live in, they bode their time for several years before embarking on a major renovation in 2009 that took six months.
The renovation has more than doubled the overall size of the two-level house, which now includes a tenanted downstairs flat.
"By the time we renovated, we had lived in the house for so long that we had a very clear idea of what we wanted to do to it," says Beth, who supervised the renovation after she and Michael employed a draftsman to draw up their plans.
As in most homes of this era, the original kitchen and dining areas were pokey spaces with insufficient light and situated in a lean-to at the back of the house.
Beth and Michael's plan involved converting the original lounge on the main level of the house into a third bedroom and replacing the lean-to area with an open plan kitchen with a central island bench.
The spacious kitchen adjoins a new living room that flows out to a covered outdoor deck.
Image 1 of 5: 241214 Herald Homes. 35 Kingsland Ave home of Beth, Octavia, 14 months and husband. Photo: Fiona Goodall/Getty Images
The unused basement level of the house has been converted into a large one-bedroom flat, with a lounge, bathroom and laundry. The flat opens to a paved courtyard garden that is discreetly screened from the rest of the property.
On the upstairs level, all three bedrooms open off the central hallway and the bathroom at the end of the hallway has been fully renovated.
A large new deck leads off the kitchen steps down to tiered vegetable gardens and a lower lawn on the northern side of the property.
The piece de resistance of their well thought out plan is the upstairs covered deck, which is designed as a sheltered, airy, outdoor room with detailing to match the era of the house. This loggia-like space looks out over mature trees and shrubs in the garden and towards the 12km Northwestern Cycleway, which is a short walk from the house and runs from the CBD to Henderson.
As well as being about five minutes' walk from the Kingsland shops and its bustling cafe and bar scene, the house is only seven minutes' walk to the Kingsland train station, which has made commuting to work a breeze for Michael.
The Walshes have enjoyed living within close walking distance of Eden Park and Nixon Park is also nearby.
Now that they have 1-year-old daughter Octavia, the couple are keen for a change after owning this house for 13 years and are looking to buy in West Auckland.
