SCHOOL ZONES:
Pakuranga College. Farm Cove intermediate, Sunnyhills primary.
CONTACT:
Pat Lapalapa, Harcourts, 021 022 63886.
AUCTION:
March 16, 6pm.
*Plus off-street
Jason Koroheke and his wife Nadine are lucky to have their friend Mike looking after them.
The two men have been friends since they played together for the Pakuranga rugby league club and Mike swears that everyone in Pakuranga knows Jason and his family.
Jason grew up on Pakuranga Rd, so when Mike found this 1960s house up a right of way over the road from Jason's dad's house, where Jason grew up, he knew it would be perfect for the family, their three kids and six grandchildren.
"It was a massive house, and in the nine years since they bought it the three kids have grown up, and two of their kids lived there, too," says Mike.
"He's very popular in the community, and has about a billion friends, so we liked the big spaces - the massive lounge, the extra sitting area at the entry and the two big decks."
Mike laughs that he and Jason had planned to renovate and sell, but the house grew on them and it is only because Jason and Nadine want to move to a country property that they finally put the house back on the market.
Meanwhile, the bungalow had a makeover, the pair ripping up the carpets to expose wood floors good enough to polish, updating HRV and insulation and lining bedrooms in Lockwood-style wood panelling for insulation and good looks.
The big living room has two fireplaces - a modern gas one plus a Masport wood burner - so ducting heat around the rest of the house keeps it cosy and dry.
There are also 13 solar panels for power and hot water, with excess energy being sold back to the utility company.
The four bedrooms are all good-sized doubles, so the extended family had room to spread out.
The family decided to leave the kitchen and both bathrooms as they were - neat and serviceable, but ready for the next owner to do new stylish updates.
The kitchen is big enough for a second dining area. But it was outside where the renovations really went to town.
Inspired by the row of palm trees already in the front yard, they added more tropical planting and two decks, one for dining and one for seating.
A covered pergola means these outdoor rooms can be used in all but the worst of winter weather and the landscapers added dramatic lighting so that the space looks as magical at night.
Tucked up a long right of way, it's hard to believe the house is midway between the bustling suburban malls of Pakuranga and Highland Park.
The huge Lloyd Elsmore Park is just up the road, but Jason had some bars built in, along with gym gear, so he could exercise in his own tropical yard.
On the other side of the house, another roomy yard is terraced, with space for clothes line and older trees and plenty of playing space for the grandkids.
The suburb has changed and grown since the two friends were youngsters, but schools and public transport are within easy walks, as are the beaches of Bucklands Beach, Half Moon Bay and Eastern Beach, with cafes and the ferry to town for lucky commuters.
