Small details make big difference
258 JERVOIS RD HERNE BAY
When Simon Greenwood says he’s a details man, he really means it. Every single centimetre of the sensational modernisation of his charming, original Herne Bay villa in a prime Jervois Rd position, has been carefully planned and executed. It’s a truly luxurious, 21st century dwelling, in every single sense.
He says it used to be a boarding house, so the generous footprint was already there to be developed, and he and his late wife, Toni Nelson, were key to bringing it back to life.
“It had everything we needed,” says Simon of a major renovation, which took place between 2009 and 2010. “We had three young children and we really wanted to make it into something special.”
The property is surrounded by solid security fences, but once you’re inside, a veritable luxury resort unfolds. The main level has two bedrooms at the private front of the house and each opens, via french doors, to a pretty, well-clipped, English-style garden.
The master suite has a gigantic walk-through closet and a five-star hotel quality en suite.
The front bedroom on the opposite side was used by Toni, a lawyer who worked from home, as her headquarters. It has a separate entrance, which meant her business could be kept apart from family life. An office behind it has loads of built-in file space.
Also on this floor is the family bathroom, which is large, stylish, but very practical, and at the rear is the gigantic living, dining and kitchen area.
In terms of keen cooks’ desires, this is a truly blissful domain with an overwhelming amount of storage space and high quality appliances. It has a herb garden directly outside the window, which means that the cook simply has to reach out and cut whatever they need.
Simon says it took a huge crew of men to lift the solid, stainless steel central bench, with its sink, into place.
“I don’t think it will be going anywhere else again in a hurry.”
The kitchen, combined dining area and family room with a gas fireplace for winter comfort opens on to an elevated deck with grandstand views to the lush, subtropical garden, the giant swimming pool, and a super-deep spa pool, which Simon describes as “absolutely fantastic”.
The remarkable thing is this is only the top floor and downstairs is, more or less, another house, which has been designed to be independent.
It has more bedrooms, a bathroom, and a media room where Simon and his family watched the Rugby World Cup. There is another large kitchen, dining and family room with unusual, but striking oak walls. This level opens directly to the back yard, with just a short run to the pool.
At night, Fiji-style flames light the way. Under the house are two vast storage areas, one of which is tall enough to stand up in and is full of skis and other family bits and pieces.
It goes without saying the house is perfectly positioned.
Simon appreciates its close proximity to all of the local shops and eateries.
“You don’t need to use the car here because everything you need is nearby,” he says.
Now that Simon is an empty nester — or soon to be, when his daughter moves south to university next year — he’s realised he will be left “rattling around” in this sizeable home and says he’ll miss it.