The slow reveal in Remuera

16 EASTBOURNE RD REMUERA

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SIZE: Land 710sq m, house 319sq m (approx).

PRICE INDICATION: CV $3.51 million. Tender closes November 2 at 4pm.

INSPECT: Sat/Sun 1pm-1.30pm.

ON THE WEB: www.barfoot.co.nz/442606

SCHOOL ZONES: Remuera Primary School, Remuera Intermediate, Auckland Grammar, Epsom Girls' Grammar.

CONTACT: Paul Barnao, Barfoot & Thompson, ph 524 0149 or 021 920 745.

FEATURES: Renovated, north-facing, two-storey home with harbour views. Refurbished with family living in mind, the home has two large living areas, covered and heated outdoor entertaining, a study and a heated swimming pool.

Only the rimu floors in Heather and John MacCulloch's home give away the fact that you are not standing in a new house.

The rimu floorboards - now bleached - are the last visible signs of the original dwelling that Heather describes as "an orange stucco home" that they bought about 11 years ago. The couple has had the two-storey house renovated inside and out, including giving it a modern look by recladding it in zinc and replacing the original wooden joinery with aluminium and the windows with double glazing. They also added a double garage to the front and had the entire gardens professionally landscaped.

"We kept the same bones of the house so somewhere underneath here there is a 1960s villa," laughs Heather.

Although the couple never thought that the stucco looked right, they bought the elevated two-storey home for the harbour views "and the fact that just about every room faces north".

This is immediately apparent upon entering - floor-to-ceiling glass sliders allow light to flood into the home and provide a terrific outlook over the neighbourhood below and views of the harbour with Rangitoto Island in full view. With the help of architect Lindy Leuschke, they have created elegant living spaces that flow out to a north-facing balcony that has been paved with granite and has a glass balustrade. The master bedroom also has opaque glass doors opening on to this balcony.

The open-plan kitchen and casual living area feature a lounge space at one end with a gas fire and a dining area. Next door there is a more formal dining room and lounge space, also with a gas fire. These two rooms have a soundproofed cavity slider between them.

"We've had some quite fun dinner parties where the kids have been in here [the casual living area] while the adults have been in the next room," says Heather.

The kitchen has a long composite stone bench/breakfast bar as the centrepiece and aluminium-faced cabinets courtesy of John's business, Aluart, which creates aluminium cladding in different colours and patterns for interior and exterior use.

Having made-over the home from scratch, Heather loves the pantry she created and the spacious laundry behind the kitchen. At the opposite end of the house there is a guest bedroom, a bathroom and an office across the hallway from the master bedroom.

The master bedroom also faces north and has harbour views. "You can lie in bed and see all the cruise ships going in and out," says Heather. The MacCullochs reconfigured the master suite so that the walk-in wardrobe and en suite were larger. The en suite now has a standalone bath, walk-in shower and double basins.

From the casual living area, glass sliders open to an outdoor entertaining space covered by a louvred roof and warmed by wall-mounted heaters. From here you step down and around to the front of the house where there is a heated pool inside a glass fence.

On this level, the MacCullochs' three children each have a bedroom that looks out on the pool. Downstairs there is another bathroom and a large storeroom on the way out to the internal-access double garage.

Having completed the nine-month renovation in April, the couple were looking forward to enjoying their home for some time, but have now decided to move to Australia so John can expand Aluart. Heather says: "It's great that the business is going well but it's a shame we have to leave here so soon after finishing it because now it's a very convenient house and a great entertainers' house."