SCHOOL ZONES:
Epsom Girls’ Grammar, Auckland Grammar, Remuera Intermediate.
CONTACT:
Steen Nielsen, 0275 578 336.
AUCTION:
5pm, Nov 18.
When you open the front door of Caroline Beaumont's Remuera home you are in for one great big Simon Carnahan-style surprise.
What looks from the street like a once-modest 1900s cottage that has been upgraded and extended, with a modern front courtyard and north facing decks, is so much more.
A "Tardis", is how Caroline describes her modernised Bassett Rd home, which spreads over three levels and looks across the rooftops of houses on Remuera's northern slopes towards the sea.
After selling a house in South Epsom and renting for a year with her mother Jan and two daughters, Stephanie, 22, and Natasha, 17, Caroline was keen to buy a house that would be close to St Cuthbert's College, the girls' school.
"We had been searching and searching and I was fed up to the back teeth with looking when we found this place."
The family instantly fell in love with the home, which Caroline said looked like "a bit of a Hollywood house" when she bought it six years ago.
"It had a pink roof, a pink hall and the bedrooms had huge mirrors surrounded with Hollywood-style lights."
The previous owners, who had lived there for more than 20 years, had employed architect Simon Carnahan in the 1980s to completely remodel the original, single-level house, which had been built in 1907.
Carnahan's transformational design included rebuilding most of the home to add an east-facing extension, a basement level and a mezzanine level, as well as large north and east-facing decks.
Caroline says everything was open, including the master bedroom and the staircase to the lower level, which includes three of the home's five bedrooms, a shower, separate toilet and several storage spaces.
After living in the house for more than a year to get a feel for its different spaces, Caroline did her own renovations to bring it into the 21st century and put on her own stamp.
These included a new roof, remodelling two bathrooms and installing a third, which is on the lower level.
A new kitchen has also been installed, the upstairs master bedroom has been enclosed and glass balustrading has been added to the main staircase, which has been lengthened to make it less steep.
The changes have made the home much more child friendly. Its ample decking, walled, west-facing front courtyard and large back garden also make it a great house for the family's two dogs, Millie and Ruby.
Image 1 of 9: A Hollywood pink theme has been replaced with a sleek, open-plan design. Photos / Fiona Goodall
The location of the double grammar-zoned house is close to good walking areas such as Bloodworth Park, Newmarket Park and Mt Hobson. It's five minutes' walk to the Newmarket Train Station and seven minutes' walk to Broadway's shops.
Caroline also loves that the house is not overlooked by neighbours and is quiet -- apart from the sound of birds on the property.
The large back garden includes a gently sloping lawn and double garage with storage space, and the east-facing back deck, which opens off the family living and kitchen area, is a sun trap.
"The girls and I are sun worshippers and in the summer we can stay out on the deck reading our books until 7 at night."
Open-plan living on the main, mid-level where you enter the house includes the main living room, dining room, office and library area with a bedroom and bathroom off to the right.
Double wooden doors lead to the kitchen, family rooms and the deck. Caroline has decided to sell the house now that Stephanie is studying at Otago University and Natasha is increasingly focused on her athletics dream of representing New Zealand as a heptathlete.
"Selling up will allow me to free up capital to help both girls pursue their goals," says Caroline.
"Now is also the time to dedicate everything I have to see if Nat can make it, internationally, at a senior level. We don't ever want to look back and ask ourselves 'what if?'."
