SCHOOL ZONES:
Epsom Normal School, Auckland Normal Intermediate, double Grammar.
CONTACT:
Stanley Armon, Barfoot, 021 723 177.
AUCTION:
May 13.
Designed for an established neighbourhood, this home marries a palette of exterior materials inspired in part by the English connections of its original owner.
Its two levels unfold beneath a gently sloping roofline of a similar pitch to surrounding bungalows, with exterior cladding a plastered Hebel panel system on the lower level and a plaster system with cavities above.
For the architectural designer Mike Dawson, of Dawson Architectural in Howick, the addition of schist stone acknowledges his clients' keenness for an English influence, which they conveyed to him in their own sketches back in 2007. That textural, horizontal schist was also a design tool to address the site's steepness and the tallness of the house.
Of the site, he says, "It juts away from the street and getting a street presence can be a challenge with these kinds of sites."
Designed with four children in mind and the need for multiple shared and private spaces, this home was subsequently sold to another family with four children about 18 months ago. For each family, the key to how well this home connects with its tree-lined landscaped grounds has been in its slightly diagonal orientation that maximises the sun and the outlook across this wide site.
The result is a series of well-proportioned ground floor living areas opening seamlessly to the deck, lawns and outdoor living by the infinity pool.
Upstairs, the bedrooms are oriented to the balconies, with extra privacy afforded by mature evergreen trees along the boundary. More specifically, each bedroom has a corner window for a panoramic view and sunshine coming in on more than one side. In the case of the master suite overlooking the pool, its corner windows are right by the doors to an intimate balcony that gets midday and later afternoon sun.
For the Ross family this house had already proven its functionality and they never found it wanting either.
Image 1 of 8: The sun is the only passerby to peer into this property. That's a blessing for the occupants
"It has been a wonderful home," says Diane Ross. "It is in a private part of Epsom with access off Corbett Scott Ave only. It is sunny and compact and when you're outside by the pool you're not looking into any other property. We have always thought of it as a home rather than just a house because it has been very easy to live in."
Diane especially liked the double entry to the kitchen from the hall near the media room on one side and from the formal dining room and lounge with shared fireplace on the other.
"It meant that the kitchen always had a nice sense of flow opening out to the terrace when there were a lot of people around."
French doors open into the kitchen with a dark granite waterfall bench angled to take in the casual living and dining indoors and out. In the scullery and the bespoke laundry, the benchtops are a matching dark laminate material.
Clear cues to the concept of future-proofing a home are evident in the media room, with its double cupboard/wardrobe and its own bathroom/en suite, for use as a sixth bedroom.
Upstairs the master bedroom and one other each have an en suite. The remaining three bedrooms and study are serviced by a large family bathroom.
The double garage has fitted hanging rails, a washtub, an indoor fold-down clothesline and a laminated timber workbench. The Ross family made use of all of it before they moved from here, leaving yet still more confirmation of its functionality as a fully-fledged family home.
