Sporting chance in Pt Chevalier

30 Harbour View Rd, Pt Chevalier. Photo / Supplied

30 HARBOUR VIEW RD PT CHEVALIER

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SIZE: Land 1403sq m; house approx 300sq m.

PRICE INDICATION: By negotiation. CV $2.19 million.

INSPECT: By appointment only.

ON THE WEB: www.sellrealty.co.nz/ PPC10357

SCHOOL ZONES: Pt Chevalier School, Pasadena Intermediate, Western Springs College.

CONTACT: Ross Brader, Professionals, ph 846 8996 or 027 475 5977.

FEATURES: Builder's own home on a large waterfront site in Pt Chevalier, with riparian rights and wide views of the Waitemata Harbour. Home designed for family living, with open-plan downstairs living area, separate upstairs lounge, study and four bedrooms, including master suite.

When pro-golfer Phil Tataurangi came to inspect the green out the back of builder Steve Hoeft's Pt Chevalier home, he declared it the best setting he'd seen for a spot of private putting.

Steve's waterfront putting green has a sweeping native tree-framed view of the Waitemata Harbour. Between the green, the views, the backyard, the deck and the spa pool, it's not hard for Steve and his wife Carmel to find a friend or two to join them for a quiet beer at sunset.

Though the putting green was Steve's private indulgence - an afterthought once half the kids had left home - the house he built on the large site in the mid-1990s was created with the whole family in mind.

Steve and Carmel bought the waterfront property 18 years ago. It began its life in the 1920s as the home of a local doctor, and had the relaxed feel of a coastal holiday home. "It was a huge piece of land with plenty of scope for expansion," says Steve. "We thought it would be a good place to bring up children."

Though the original bungalow on the site was in good nick considering its age, it was never going to cater for a family of five (who were soon to be six).

Though they kept (and expanded) the original footprint of the house, not much remains of the old place. The kitchen became part of an open-plan living area, which opens to decks that wrap around the north and west.

Keeping in mind the needs of their growing family, Steve and Carmel built a separate living area upstairs, with its own deck and hidden kitchenette. The master bedroom is also tucked away upstairs, with a walk-in-wardrobe, en suite and balcony, and a large study gives Steve and Carmel a quiet spot for paperwork.

The three children's bedrooms are downstairs and, as the kids grew in size and number, Steve built a carport and converted the double garage to a rumpus room.

Outside, Steve and his sons built a flight of wide, sturdy steps to double as a retaining wall, and levelled off the lawn. They cleared the scraggly scrub from the back of the section, giving their impressive stand of native trees - puriri, rimu, totara, titoki, lancewood, pohutukawa and kauri - room to breathe.

Beyond the decks, the lawn and the putting green, Steve created a hidden space among the trees for a picnic table, which serves him well as a picturesque outdoor breakfast room, from where you can hear the rush of saltwater below. From here, old steps lead down to the harbour.

With just two children left at home, aged 13 and 21, Steve and Carmel are downsizing. "This house has had its use for us as far as the family is concerned," says Steve. "It's time for another family to move in."

They're hoping to stay in the area - Steve grew up in Pt Chevalier and Carmel in Herne Bay - but aren't holding out much hope of finding a smaller place with such impressive views. Or room for a putting green.