SCHOOL ZONES:
Ellerslie School, One Tree Hill College.
CONTACT:
John Quiambao, 021 0278 2708, or Libby Cupitt, 021 224 1503, Ray White
She and Ant laboured over this major renovation-extension thinking they'd live here with daughters Summer, now 8, and Brooke, 6, for many years. However, Ant having his own building company, has also triggered their next move as he unexpectedly fell for a home he was building for a developer out towards Whitford.
Nicole says: "It may seem a bit crazy my still talking about this as our 'forever house' when we've started choosing some things for the new place but I'm so used to thinking that's what it would be.
"We love so many elements we've put into this home that we're going to repeat a lot of them in our new lifestyle property, too."
The couple bought here six years ago after renovating a Mt Wellington property in order to get a foothold in Ellerslie. Visiting relatives locally tipped them off to the Crescent's peaceful friendliness and good access to Ellerslie and the motorway.
They bought this as a little orangey brick house with untapped potential just a few houses down from a walkway heading towards Waiatarua Park.
Nicole says: "It was well-placed on the section for us to double it in size and still leave good outside area for the girls to play.
"When we first bought here we thought we knew how we'd change the house. But my mum was right when she said 'you must live in a place for a while first to get to know it'.
"We lived here for two years experiencing things like the sun's movement around the property and that changed some of our ideas. Now we get morning sun in the master bedroom and it sets into the living area."
Image 1 of 7: The current owners love so many aspects of this home they plan to repeat them. Photos / Ted Baghurst
It's more relevant to ask what hasn't changed about the house than what has. They've totally re-jigged the existing brick portion's layout, extended in weatherboard at rear and added the front garage. The home got a new steel tile roof and has been re-wired, re-plumbed, re-gibbed and insulated.
Nicole says: "Ant is a perfectionist. And our girls even helped out a bit on things like demolition and cleaning up."
Materials, paintwork and detailing ensure the front internal-access double garage with laundry and off-street parking outside matches the rest of the house even though it was built anew. Planting, including a seasonally fragrant port wine magnolia hedge, introduces the smart entrance alongside the house.
The couple made sure the main living hub had the dimensions to accommodate their large, close swag of relatives, aided by two sets of corner sliding doors extending entertaining out to wrap-around decks. An oversized rear soffit offering all-weather shelter has provided sun cover for the girls' Barbie pool and rain cover for washing to dry.
This open-plan living-dining-kitchen spread has back-up from a media-rumpus room and a separate study with bifolding doors to close it off from the hall when desired. Three bedrooms, en suite and bathroom complete the layout. Extras include a wall of storage, ventilation, central-vac and dual-zone sound systems and a heat pump.
