Tenant Takeover

16 Treeway, Sunnyhills.  

A family who moved from Britain and began renting found the perfect home right under its nose. 

Dale and Susan Stevens had been searching for their perfect home for several months when they realised they were already living in it. 

The couple and their four daughters had been renting a two-storey 1970s house in Sunnyhills, near Pakuranga, since arriving in Auckland from Britain two years ago. Dale, who is originally from the Waikato and met his British wife Susan while he was working in England, knew he wanted his family to be based near St Kentigerns College. 

"We did some research into schools before we left the UK and were very keen on the Pakuranga area because of St Kents," says Dale. "We rented this place while we looked around for a house to buy, but just didn't see anything we felt comfortable with. We kept comparing other houses with this one and realised how much it had going for it." 

Apart from its ideal location just five minutes walk away from the school, the colonial-style house's main drawcard was its size. With five bedrooms, three bathrooms, formal and informal dining areas plus a huge rumpus/games room downstairs, it was perfect for a family of six. 

It was, as Dale puts it, "looking rather tired but a survey showed it had very good bones. My wife said, 'What we need to do is put a smile on its face'." 

Luckily, the owners were happy to sell and four months after moving in, Dale and Susan bought the property. 

They quickly set about redecorating throughout, choosing mostly neutral colours and a sunny yellow in the main living area. The kitchen cabinets were handpainted and the worktops upgraded. In the downstairs rumpus area, the carpet was lifted to reveal stunning quarry tiles, which Dale had cleaned and restored. 

Outside, an area that had been paved was dug up and grass planted. It's a great spot for the Stevens' girls - Alex, 13, Lydia, 10, Helena, 8, and Maddy, 7, and the family's golden retriever Milo to run around in. 

A heat pump was put in to get the swimming pool to around 28C, so it can be used from Labour Weekend to Easter, and a deck was built next to it which provides a wonderful place for barbecues in the late afternoon sun. New fences were erected at the rear of the property, which adjoins a small reserve. 

"It's like we've got an extended garden, having that next door," says Dale. 

There's plenty of indoor/outdoor flow, including an upstairs verandah that wraps around half the house. The views from the verandah and also the upstairs lounge stretch across the Tamaki River to the Sky Tower and One Tree Hill. 

The downstairs living area has a small kitchenette, office and bathroom, and across the entranceway is the fifth bedroom (the other four are upstairs). 

"It could quite easily be used as a granny flat, as well as making an excellent teenager's area," says Dale. 

Sadly, his girls won't get to spend their teens here. A family member in Britain has fallen ill so they are moving back to be nearby. 

"It's going to be pretty much impossible to find anything like this in England," says Dale. "" 

Vital Statistics: 

BEDROOMS: 5 

BATHROOMS: 3 

GARAGE: 2 

SIZE: Land 809sq m, house 300sq m. 

PRICE INDICATION: Interested expected over $700,000. 

Auction April 22. 

INSPECT: Sat 2-3pm; Thursday 5-6pm. 

CONTACT: Robert Zijp, Harcourts, ph 532 8845 or 0274 716 255. 

FEATURES: Two-storey colonial-style house built mid-1970s. Formal and informal dining areas, heated swimming pool, spa pool and sauna, rumpus area with kitchenette and office. Good local schools, water views.