Sumptuous spread in St Heliers

13 Springcombe Rd, St Heliers, Auckland. Photo / Supplied

13 SPRINGCOMBE RD ST HELIERS

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SIZE: Land 3037sq m, house approx 319sq m.

PRICE INDICATION: Interest is expected between the high-$3 million to mid-$4 million range. Tender closing June 14 at 4pm.

INSPECT: By appointment.

ON THE WEB: barfoot.co.nz/454783

SCHOOL ZONES: Churchill Park School, Glendowie College.

CONTACT: Leila MacDonald, Barfoot & Thompson Remuera, ph 021 928 926, 524 0149.

FEATURES: Large private estate with renovated 1890s three-bedroom villa with wide views, separate one-bedroom cottage, tennis court, beautiful gardens, two driveways and development potential.

It all seemed so simple when the current owners bought this original homestead in a tired state decades ago - bowl it and start anew. But not long after Robin and wife Winifred moved into the villa to prepare their demolition and subdivision plans, "simple" stopped seeming sensible.

The home, admiring spectacular wide views, had been divided into two flats and included a raft of poky rear rooms. The couple's cat thought its aged carpet was alive, as it levitated every time the wind blew.

However, the villa's charms slowly crept up on them, securing its place as their home for the last 38 years, where they raised their two children, Briar and Duncan. "It's been such a lovely place for us to live," says Robin.

They spent the next 20 years renewing the villa, with architects and an interior designer commissioned to help them fuse modern liveability with its character charm. A landscaper helped them conceive magnificent gardens which have been beautifully nurtured.

Originally only accessible by boat from Auckland City, it's understood the kauri home started life around 1890 as the homestead for a St Heliers farmlet. Winifred's father was a St Heliers butcher in the 1920s and she was born and bred in the locale. When she and Robin bought the villa, they become only its third owners.

It's been a great property for entertaining, hosting everything from Briar's wedding reception to grandchildren's birthday parties.

The property has two driveways and is extremely private from the road. The secure birch-lined driveway widens into a rounded bay with flagpole. It provides you with a picturesque profile of the home, with its wrap-around verandas, ornate fretwork and trio of upper gable windows. Set between two substantial Washingtonian Robusta palms, a third much taller one towers high above - so lofty it features in navigational maps. Double and single garages plus a parking gazebo are handy to the front steps, while there's a full-sized tennis court to one side of the property.

Visitors alighting at the front veranda often marvel at the panoramic view, which takes in Rangitoto to Devonport and the Harbour Bridge to Mt Wellington. The wide entrance hall has lower walls resplendent with original pressed dados (which resemble metal but are actually painted cardboard).

Ornate pressed ceilings reign above the serene front living room with gas fire. There's a second fireplace in the neighbouring formal dining room, where you can admire rusticated macrocarpa boards high above under the second storey's pitched roof.

The plethora of tiny rooms at the rear of the house has been replaced with the long kitchen/informal dining/family room, wrapped in French doors for flow outdoors. Early in the morning, you'll often find Robin soaking up the views from the family area while perusing the newspaper. This entire spread is tiled, with underfloor heating, and timber cabinetry imbues the kitchen with a welcoming vibe.

The front-of-house master suite has shuttered doors to the veranda, plus a walk-in wardrobe and gleaming white en suite.The bedroom behind has more veranda access and another walk-in wardrobe. A secondary hall feeds the family bathroom - with original clawfoot bath and pressed-panel walls - a separate toilet and the office, while the laundry is at the rear.

Upstairs holds a wide mezzanine room where the grandchildren love to play, plus a third bedroom with bathroom.

Behind the home there's a separate cottage suiting guests, nanny or home-and-income, with living/kitchen spaces, bedroom and bathroom belying its humble beginnings as the property's milking shed.

The couple are selling as they've purchased an apartment.

The property is Res-2B zoned, suggesting grand development potential for up to four properties (or three if the villa is retained).