Teenage dream and one for the parents in Mission Bay

38 Ronaki Rd, Mission Bay, Auckland. Photo / Supplied

38 RONAKI RD MISSION BAY

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SIZE: Land 949sq m, house 518sq m.

PRICE INDICATION: Interest expected above the 2008 CV of $2.25 million. Tender closes August 12.

INSPECT: Sunday 2.15-3pm.

ON THE WEB: barfoot.co.nz/458390

SCHOOL ZONES: Kohimarama School, Selwyn College.

CONTACT: Andy Dye, Barfoot & Thompson Mission Bay, ph 528 0775 or 021 795 655.

FEATURES: Enormous, family-friendly north-facing home a short walk from Mission Bay, with water views stretching from Rangitoto to Mt Victoria. Original 1930s Art Deco house has been renovated and extended to accommodate six bedrooms, large office and ample living space.

Until now, Julie Webster really hasn't given her children much of an incentive to leave home. Who needs independence when you've got sea views from your bedroom, a pool, a spa, a sauna, ample decks, huge living areas - including a cavernous billiards room - and Mission Bay just a stroll away?

The eldest of the Webster children had just started school when the family moved into the 1930s house in 1993. They had been living in the inner city but Julie hankered after an easier family life in the laid-back atmosphere of the Eastern Bays.

"Living here makes you feel like you are on holiday," says Julie. "Everybody just seems to relax and stroll around the cafes and shops. And it's very family-orientated around here. It's everything you look for."

It was the first time the house had ever been on the market. The Websters bought it from 95-year-old Dulcie Taylor, who had built it with her late husband and was reluctantly moving into a rest home.

The Taylors had kept their home in pristine condition, and Julie loved the elegance of its art deco style. Even so, it was due for modernisation and the Websters wanted more space. Within a couple of years they had transformed the house.

To secure extra space and capitalise on the sun and sea views, the Websters added a top floor with five bedrooms, a large office and a mezzanine lounge. Because the house stretches long from east to west, they were able to orient the floor so that four of the upstairs bedrooms (and the mezzanine lounge) face north, have sea views and open to a deck.

The addition of the top floor freed up the lower level for living spaces and a guest bedroom.

Though her youngest child was still in nappies at the time of the renovation, Julie had the foresight to plan a house that would cater for the family as the children grew.

The living area was split into three large spaces - a tiled kitchen and family room, a carpeted lounge and a large billiards room. Each faces due north and opens via oversized French doors to the tiled deck, spa and deep pool, and a prow-shaped lawn.

"This is why all the teenagers want to come here," says Julie, standing in the billiards room and gesturing out to the deck and pool. "There is plenty of room for everyone to have their own space. All the kids' friends have fond memories of this house."

Uniting the two floors is a jaw-dropping atrium entrance with sweeping staircase, chandelier and skylights.

Though the house is almost unrecognisable from the one Dulcie Taylor left, Julie was careful to stay true to the style of the original. Some of its best features were retained or re-used, including French doors, and bay and diamond windows; others, such as elegant cornices, were reproduced to blend into the house's original style.

Now that the children are aged 18, 20 and 22, they have been talking of flatting and travelling, so Julie has decided to call their bluff - she has bought a new paradise on a 4ha property in Oratia and put the much-loved family home on the market.

"It's been a lovely place to live. I've actually been quite emotional about selling ... but now it's time for another family to have the same wonderful time we did."