AUCTION:
Wednesday, November 25 (unless sold prior) at 34 Shortland Street, City.
*COVERED PARKING: 2.
Part of Mt Eden's enduring appeal is that you can find villas tucked away on quiet streets that are a hop, skip and a jump from the charms of bustling Mt Eden Village.
The best of both worlds is a cliche, but it is true of number 21, where you can have your cake in a leafy green environment or walk about 300m to village cafes to eat it too.
Jane Gower lives here with husband Paul Robinson, their 13-year-old daughter Kate and cats Bear and Rosie.
She says: "We love being so handy to the vibrancy of the village. We have our favourite cafes and can get almost everything we need from the shops there. Yet on a typical day it's very quiet at our place and we appreciate that. I remember how delighted we were in our first summer here to see tui and wood pigeons in the backyard."
They bought here in 2011 after a six-month search, wanting open-plan living and more space than they'd had in their previous Mt Albert home.
Jane says: "I remember thinking what a lovely homely feel this villa had as soon as I walked in.
"When we sat in the sun on the back deck we hadn't even looked at all the bedrooms properly. But we looked at each other and said 'this feels like we could be happy here'."
Paul is green-fingered and has a talent for DIY so they'd already earmarked improvements by the time they took possession. They loved the big rear deck instantly but wanted to remove a thick concrete pad beyond it to create a peacefully leafy backyard.
"We smashed up all that concrete ourselves with sledge hammers and jack hammers and barrowed out all the broken concrete to the front to get rid of it.
"Never again," she says of that time-consuming DIY slog.
Image 1 of 10: You can enjoy your morning coffee and muffin in your garden among the tui and wood pigeons, or walk to the local cafes. Photos / Ted Baghurst
Improving warmth swiftly became a priority after a chilly first night in winter. They ate pizza and tried to warm themselves up by the gas fire in the open-plan living area, which had no curtains and blinds at the time.
They promptly got window coverings, upped the insulation and installed dining area and hallway heat pumps.
"Now, even in the middle of winter, we can close the doors at the end of the hallway and feel cosy within five minutes," says Jane.
The gated front grounds offer lush manicured garden and lawn with irrigation plus a double garage that has attic space.
Jane thinks the enclosed front sunroom prefacing their leadlight front door looks original.
"This front sun porch with the window seat Paul built is particularly good in winter as its gets the sun from about 10 'til around three o'clock. On Sunday mornings I'll often sit here in the sunshine with a cup of tea, reading the paper."
The circa-1920s transitional villa's hallway is a wide example of the ever-popular combination of high stud and timber floors.
There's an ornamental character fireplace in the master bedroom, which also has a walk-through wardrobe and en suite. They use one of the other three bedrooms as a study and music room.
Part of the rear open-plan kitchen-dining-living spread's ceiling soars up, bolstering its feeling of spaciousness and there's a colourful little leadlight in the kitchen. They find the home easy to entertain in, thanks to its designer kitchen featuring island seating and the covered, pergola-topped wrap-around rear deck.
Established trees lend privacy to the back yard, which includes raised garden beds and more lawn and has a garden shed around the corner. The family think they'd have added an outdoor fireplace here if they'd stayed on because they loved a former neighbour's one.
Instead they're moving to Christchurch where Jane and Paul are originally from and where they have family, including Jane's 93-year-old grandmother.
