The icing on the cake in Westmere

97 Westend Road, Westmere. Photo / Getty Images

97 WEST END RD WESTMERE

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SIZE: Land 774sq m plus 283sq m ( share access way to Cox's Bay), house 178sq m plus garden studio.

PRICE INDICATION: CV $1.3 million. Auction March 9.

INSPECT: Sat/Sun 2.30-3.15pm.

ON THE WEB: bayleys.co.nz/350889

SCHOOL ZONES: Westmere School, Ponsonby Intermediate and Western Springs College.

CONTACT: Michael Mattson, ph 021 666 171, Donna McMillan, ph 021 781 008, Bayleys.

FEATURES: Character bungalow in a great location, beautifully renovated, garden studio, stunning north-facing living areas and garden access to Cox's Bay from backyard. Off-street parking for at least two more cars.

Just four words was all it took to close the deal on Ross and Kay Land's Westmere home more than 16 years ago. Kay was a regular at the West End Tennis Club and casually kept an eye out for For Sale signs in the area. She knew she'd found the right place for her family when she read a real estate advertisement for a bungalow that included the words, "path to the beach".

"That's all I read," she remembers. "I have no idea what the rest of the ad said. I immediately called the agent who wasn't in. I rang and rang all day until I got hold of her. That was a Friday. By the Tuesday the place was ours."

The Lands' new home had private access to Cox's Bay. Five properties share a grassy path that takes them down to the water. It's the perfect spot to launch a dinghy or a kayak, or to enjoy a glass of wine at the end of the day overlooking views of the harbour and Sky Tower.

But it wasn't just about the beach access. The house had great bones that the couple knew they could shape into a family home for their three then school-aged children, Emma, Kerie and Mitch.

Not long after they moved in, they asked architect Nicholas Stevens for his ideas on a renovation. His concept plans opened up the back of the house, providing a new kitchen and living area, and expanded a small upstairs bedroom into a parents' retreat complete with en suite and small balcony to make the most of views over the water. A garden studio offered an extra bedroom for guests, or the perfect place to work from home. Ross and Kay loved the plans, but it was another eight years before any building work began. Rather than doing the work in stages, they decided to wait until circumstances were right for them to do the work all at once. The results were exactly what they had envisaged. The most dramatic change was the creation of a huge, concrete-floored dining room that has been the hub of family life for the past eight years. Sun pours in through the bifold windows on to a window seat that runs along one wall. The dining area seats up to 15, and the deep concrete stairs that lead down to the backyard make the perfect perch for party-goers.

As much as it's a great place for entertaining, there are also spots for quietness and solitude. Sliding doors can shut off the living room making it the perfect place to enclose teenage music. A study leading off the kitchen provides another living area.

Even after living here for so long, Ross and Kay still revel in the fact they can be sitting down by the water for coffee, then be in the city less than 10 minutes later. "West End Rd is really just an extension of Victoria Street," says Kay.

While they've loved having the best of both worlds, the pull of the ocean is winning out. They bought a bach at Muriwai several years ago and with their kids now grown, it's somewhere they want to spend more time.