Easy care country living
A quality construction and easy care environment are just two characteristics that make this charming country manor one of the hottest contenders on Palmerston North’s property market. Nicola Moss takes a closer look.
Aneed to escape the shackles of city living represented the dawn of a new era for Bryan and Julie Goldack, owners of this incredible 1.3 hectare property right on the outskirts of Palmerston North.
In their search for a home that would offer the best of both worlds, this sumptuous designer residence at 2 Orakei Road ticked all the necessary boxes, right down to its desirable culde-sac location and semi-rural lifestyle.
“We loved the property the minute we saw it. It has everything we could ever want in a house including a media room, four big bedrooms and plenty of garage space to boot. We knew we didn’t want to live in the town but also didn’t want to live too far out either, so this area offered the best of both worlds.” To accommodate their busy social life, it was important for Bryan and Julie’s home to have high quality cooking facilities and multiple areas to choose from when hosting guests. This has seen the installation of a high spec granite kitchen complete with a butler’s pantry, a formal indoor dining area and not one, but two outdoor courtyards, serviced by an open fireplace in one and an Italian pizza oven in the other. Transforming its far-reaching outdoor area was at the top of the pair’s todo list when they first arrived, and they succeeded in their vision for a manicured, low maintenance space by replacing the overgrown gardens with easy care lawns and stylish rock formations. “When we purchased the property, there was a lot of landscape finishing to be completed. For a start, there were no lawns yet and a sparse amount of trees. All gardens have been covered in crushed rocks, so now the only upkeep required is mowing the lawns.”
The beautifully appointed granite bathrooms off each of the four bedrooms has made this home perfect for hosting overnight guests, and would lend itself nicely to a B&B set up in the future.
Saying goodbye to their beloved home will be bittersweet for Bryan and Julie, who recall many a happy summer here, gathering with family around a giant Christmas tree and listening to music in front of the outdoor fireplace with a glass of wine in hand.
“What we’ll miss the most is the spacious rural lifestyle located so close to the city, yet very peaceful. Its clever floor plan is suitable for entertaining both indoors and out and having three outdoor options to choose from makes for many relaxing evenings. It will be sad to leave, but we know it will make a fantastic home for new buyers.”