Star of the social scene in St Marys Bay

83 St Marys Road, St Marys Bay. Photo / Ted Baghurst

83 ST MARYS RD ST MARYS BAY

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SIZE: Land 1046sq m, house 260sq m approx.

PRICE INDICATION: CVs for two titles (2008): $1.7m and $1m. Expressions of interest close March 16 at 5pm.

INSPECT: Sun 3pm-3.45pm.

ON THE WEB: www.uprealty.co.nz #UPH10558

SCHOOL ZONES: Ponsonby Primary, Ponsonby Intermediate, Western Springs College, Auckland Girls' Grammar.

CONTACT: John Erceg or Wayne Bulog, Unlimited Potential Realty, ph 361 6658, 021 995 866 (John), 021 272 3557 (Wayne).

FEATURES: Expansive three-storey villa on three titles. Large, north-facing site with roomy entertaining area around pool and lawn with mature trees. Wine cellar, gym and top-floor master suite with rooftop deck and harbour views.

With the aim of spending more time on their boat, Gary and Sally Breed set out 20 years ago to buy a no-fuss apartment that would free up their weekends.

As Gary recalls: "We had a really nice boat at the time, so we wanted a penthouse, a no-maintenance place."

But when they caught sight of this character three-storey villa, their plans changed.

"It was very much an emotional decision to buy this house," says Sally. "We loved the entertainment areas because there are so many places where you can sit and relax, and it's a wonderful party house."

In fact, the street had long had a reputation for big parties, with rock bands Hello Sailor and Dragon sharing the next-door house, which they nicknamed "Mandrax Mansion", during the 1970s.

Sally and Gary suspect that's part of the reason why six police turned up at their house the night they held their first party - a roaring 20s-themed night. The Breeds don't know what the police expected to find, but it probably wasn't 85 people dressed as gangsters and molls.

As well as having the space to entertain, the house also allows Gary and Sally to run their respective businesses in consulting and IT recruitment.

Their office is at the rear of the house and has its own entrance across from the carport. This room, which would also work as another living area, has a gas fire in an ornate marbled fireplace. Nearby is a bathroom tiled in Italian stone, allowing it to function as a wet room.

Off to one side of a wide hallway with kauri floorboards is the kitchen and, at the front of the house, a bedroom.

An array of character features, such as cornices and pressed-steel and plaster ceilings, suggest the home was built for a wealthy family.

The home had been renovated and insulated before the Breeds bought it, and Gary says they have never been tempted to change its largely original layout because the rooms are so spacious.

That's certainly the case in the kitchen, which has a traditional look and enough space for a dining table at its centre. Across the hallway, the lounge is a light and airy space with an impressively high stud, an ornate plaster ceiling and open fireplace. A carved archway rescued from a hotel links the lounge with the formal dining room.

From the lounge, stairs take you down into what could be self-contained accommodation, as on this level there is a kitchen and bathroom as well as a large living room that the Breeds use as a home theatre. Behind the kitchen is a wine cellar and what looks like a cupboard off to one side opens to reveal a home gym with polished wood floors.

French doors open this level out to a bricked courtyard with spa pool overlooking the in-ground pool with shade house. The large backyard is a legacy of houses on two neighbouring sections burning down. A previous owner bought the sections and incorporated them into this property to create a private retreat with lawns and mature trees.

The sheltered, north-facing areas around the pool and the wrap-around veranda on the middle level create inviting outdoor spaces, but it's the rooftop deck outside the upstairs master bedroom that is most impressive, with its captivating harbour views.

Here, Gary and Sally can catch the last rays of sun before retiring to the master suite, which occupies the entire top floor and boasts a lounge and en suite. A stained-glass wall on the western side creates intriguing plays of light.

But after 20 happy years and with their son off to university soon, the couple are looking to downsize. As Gary says: "We don't really need a three-storey house for us two and the cat and the dog."