SCHOOL ZONES:
Newmarket School, Auckland Normal Intermediate, double Grammar.
CONTACT:
Leila MacDonald, 021 928 926 or (09) 215 4394, David MacDonald, 021 650 901 or (09) 215 4395.
AUCTION:
August 26.
Wanting to get into the pricey double grammar zone, Marion Logan and husband Peter found a home and income property that could get their foot in the door.
When they bought their Almorah Rd villa 19 years ago it was divided into three flats, and they continued renting out two of them to help pay the mortgage.
"We wanted to get into the grammar zone and we liked villas," says Marion. "We had one at Burnley Tce and then another one at Grange Rd, but the only problem with Grange Rd was that it wasn't in the grammar zone then."
Seven years on, having got their mortgage under control, they decided to renovate the villa and turn it into one large family home now that they had three children.
Karen and Peter enlisted the help of Leo van Veenendaal and Paul Rosnell, of VRLA Architecture, because they had seen the quality of their work on friends' revamped homes.
Rebuilding their home required new foundations out the back where the flats had the best views from this elevated site.
Karen says some of the building work in the flats had to redone, as did other aspects of the house to meet the building code. Its infrastructure, including insulation, was also upgraded in the nine-month project.
Now the home, with its extended and widened wraparound veranda, has an elegant presence sitting back from the quiet street behind a swathe of lawn flanked by a new double garage and an older single garage used for storage.
Character features such as sash windows and leadlights have been retained and modern versions of them incorporated in the rebuilt parts of the home, with original doors recycled as much as possible.
Cut-outs in the walls of the large kitchen/family/dining room space create subtle partitions between these areas while generating the light, flow and views of open-plan living.
Image 1 of 5: From flats to roomy living, this villa reclaims and improves on its original elegance
The dark hues of the kitchen benches and cabinetry contrast with what is generally a neutral colour scheme throughout the house.
Karen says the "buffet" that sits between the family room and dining room has seen a lot of action over the years with food served up here for people to help themselves.
"It's a great entertaining space. We've had all sorts of parties here -- 40ths, 50ths, pre-balls and sports team gatherings."
A wood fire heats the dining area and backs on to a gas fire that warms a separate formal lounge with views over neighbouring suburbs out to Mt Hobson.
The rest of the house is heated by a ducted system installed by their son's business, EES, and there is underfloor heating downstairs.
Next door to the formal lounge is an office that you pass on the way to the master suite, which occupies a quiet corner at the back of the house. It has elevated views and and an en suite and walk-in wardrobe.
A guest bedroom at the front of the house has a bay window, with the main bathroom further down the hallway.
The lower level of the house is surprisingly spacious with two more bedrooms, a bathroom, a lounge, a music room, a large fitted-out laundry, and a store room that would make an ideal wine cellar.
French doors from the lounge and the rearmost bedroom open to the flat back lawn.
With their son having left home and their two daughters at university, Karen and Peter feel now is the right time to downsize and they have bought a townhouse in Remuera, with plans to spend more time at their beach house up north.
