SCHOOL ZONES:
Lincoln Heights School, Massey High School.
CONTACT:
Stuart Wards 021 582 485; Jane King 021 822 500, Harcourts.
Sixteen years ago, Simon Edwards spotted an acre or so of land and house close to the Northwestern Motorway.
Beyond the physical attributes in front of him, he saw potential for a small residential subdivision, similar to a gated community.
He bought the land, gave the existing house a Mediterranean-style makeover and then set about creating his own kind of neighbourhood, building five homes with a touch of The Med about their exterior hue.
That enclave of six freehold homes has been part of his life since, with various families taking up long-term residency as his neighbours since the completion of the year-long development early in 2001.
This street-front home, to the right inside the open driveway, was the first to be built.
It is also the first that Simon, a business manager, has sold and it follows an interior update and an exterior repaint undertaken about 18 months ago.
Everything else about the house is as it was when he embarked on this project, his first multi-dwelling development that followed a few smaller house renovation projects for re-sale.
Here the original plaster exterior has been given a repaint in a similar tone to the original colour, alongside the original dark green steel tiled roof and matching aluminium joinery.
Inside, the off-white painted walls complement the new, darker tone of carpet in the integrated living and dining area and the central hallway to the three bedrooms and the small study.
The look was completed with new window treatments including roman blinds and curtains.
The family bathroom and en suite have their original fixtures and tiled floors.
Image 1 of 6: This modern home in an enclave of six, reflects the owner's desire for comfortable, family living. Photos / Fiona Goodall, Getty Images
"When I started building these houses I looked at what everyone was doing and I said, 'Okay, these are the key features needed in this house -- more open-plan living and dining, a breakfast bar, good storage in the kitchen, stainless steel appliances, tiles on the floors and a bath with a shower over it rather than just a shower'," he says.
He also managed to fit in an en suite off the main bedroom, a feature more commonly associated with much larger homes back then.
Simon made much use of the natural light with large picture windows and mirrored sliding wardrobe doors in each bedroom that would reflect light back into each room.
The living area opens to a kwila deck and strip lawn beneath a mature tree within the painted, fenced front yard.
On the opposite side of the house outside the kitchen, land beyond the strip lawn that is obscured by bamboo could be turned into another outdoor bar-style area if the kitchen windows were to be replaced with bi-fold editions.
The kitchen was built with teal-coloured laminate cabinetry, with Simon's wish for plentiful storage translated into cupboards above and below the laminate bench tops where possible.
Two vertical cupboards for glassware and crockery have been installed on the left wall going into the kitchen, close enough to the breakfast bar and the dining area for convenient entertaining.
In the living area, a window seat with cushion squabs provides extra casual seating close to the sliding doors to the outdoors.
The double garage at the end of the house includes the laundry and a full-width, retractable clothesline. Internal access is up carpeted steps into the hallway.
Simon is selling as he and his wife Lyn look to buying in another neighbourhood.
