SCHOOL ZONES:
Flanshaw Rd, Rangeview Intermediate, Rutherford College.
CONTACT:
Marc Collins 0274 485961, (09) 361 7259.
Bev Broughton looks out her bifold kitchen windows across Whau River to Mt Eden, One Tree Hill and Mt Albert with the Sky Tower framed between trees and says, "Our friends thought we were mad when we bought this land."
When husband Tony found their section there was a lot mud, she recalls, but it was in a sweet spot.
"I remember coming and looking at it, with our gumboots, it was so steep you had to have a stick to get down and the old man next door was helping.
"We bought it very quickly, just loved it, and everyone thought we were just crazy, but as we started taking a few trees down for the build they all thought, 'My goodness, it's a real gem'."
A hidden, private gem at that, with an unobstructed view yet it's only minutes to shops and the motorway.
Bev and Tony's architecturally designed three-level home has two decks to take advantage of the sun and the view, and an almost-apartment on the lower level they incorporated for their daughters.
The view travels across mangroves, then the river and boats, to the city beyond.
Says Tony, "It changes completely when the spring tides are in. It's all water, it's amazing."
Image 1 of 10: Built for a growing family, this property possesses space, amazing views and water access
You can see only the tallest mangroves then, he says, but the rest have a shimmering sheet of water across them.
"We get a fair bit of action on the river. You've got the West End Rowing Club, the waka and the Piha Surf Club coming up and down and, of course, all the boat owners."
There is also ample birdlife, with pukeko, ducks and herons which sit in the trees, and tui galore.
"Along the little estuary, right around, it's like a little highway for birds, and monarch butterflies for that matter," says Tony.
The house is a delight for grandchildren, who love all its nooks, crannies and staircases, and the access to the water.
The couple lived in Swanson for 20-odd years, but Bev says they are both from the area and that Tony played in the river as a child, so he's come home.
The house was designed to fit the section and embrace the outlook, so the living space on the ground floor is an elongated open-plan, with a roomy kitchen, spacious dining area and cosy lounge with a real fire.
Two bedrooms are on this level and upstairs is taken up by the master suite. Here, there is a windowseat on which to soak up the sun, a walk-in wardrobe and en suite so large the space is nearly as big as the bedroom.
Tony leads the way to the lower level, saying that while this is not an official apartment, the basics are there -- a kitchen, lounge, office, two more bedrooms and an outdoor area close to nature. The space would be ideal for a granny flat or for teenagers.
The couple's daughters no longer live here so the difficult decision's been made to downsize. The Broughtons want to stay in the general area to be near their grandchildren.
