COAST AND COUNTRY

78C REDBROOK DRIVE, GORDONTON

Replacing what she thought was the perfect house in Tauranga seemed like an impossibility to Shirley McCombe when work necessitated a move to Waikato.

She and husband Kevan had been living in the Bay of Plenty for 14 years and their house had everything they wanted — especially peace and privacy.

Shirley trawled every possible internet site during her search and, after what seemed like a lifetime, found a property in Gordonton, a short drive north of Hamilton, that looked as if it might fit the bill.

“I couldn’t believe it,” she says. “It had a big section, there was only one neighbour, and it looked down a valley so you could see the hawks riding the thermals. It was way bigger than we needed at this stage of our lives and I wish we’d had it when we had young children. But I loved the space in this house.”

The house is a classic country-style, two-storeyed brick and tile with a modern twist. Five bedrooms and three bathrooms make it an ideal family home, along with the open-plan kitchen and dining area, and a separate lounge. The dining area and lounge open to the north-facing patio which is well set up for outdoor entertaining.

The master suite is upstairs with three other double bedrooms, all of which have walk-in wardrobes. That’s been a big plus for Shirley, who describes herself as “a tidy person who likes everything to have a place”.

Downstairs there’s another bedroom and an office/ rumpus room, a laundry and internal access to the double garage.

When she and Kevan first moved in, they undertook some minor renovations to put their own stamp on the house. The carpets were sky blue and one of the bathrooms was orange, so Shirley chose a more restrained palette, replacing the carpet with a pale grey and painting most of the walls off-white. This gave more SIZE: Land 0.25ha, house 217sq m. PRICE: Interest expected above current CV of $620,000. AUCTION: June 30. INSPECT: Sun 1.30-2pm. SCHOOLS: Gordonton School. CONTACT: Scott Macdonald, Bayleys, 027 753 3854. On the web: bayleys.co.nz/811479