Family appeal plus business options
renovated rather than restored; with a freestanding woodburner set into a bricklined corner, it is a cosy space in which to relax and watch television. French doors off the dining room open into a generous conservatory which basks in the winter sun.
A new kitchen was crafted into the reworked floorplan by award-winning city firm Vogue Joinery, featuring rimu cabinets and black granite bench tops. Tall, sash windows frame immediate views of the garden and distant images of Paritutu Rock and the former power-station chimney.
The chimney lights are a weather pointer for John. ‘‘If I can’t see the lights going up and down the chimney in the morning, I know it’s raining.’’
The project morphed from renovation to extension when they decided to develop a bed-and-breakfast business. The two front bedrooms on each side of the central hallway inside the front door became the B&B rooms, with an ensuite bathroom created for each. One is named the Mt Egmont Room, the other the Taranaki Room.
That’s been a highly successful decision; the couple say hundreds of guests, New Zealand and international, have stayed with them since their first American visitor in 2004. New owners will have the choice of continuing or refocusing Villa Heights as a family home.
An extension on the eastern side became contemporary accommodation for John and Rosemary. Two more bedrooms with ensuites were created and a new lounge gave the couple space to relax by themselves when guests were staying.
This private lounge and the new master bedroom look into the valley to the side of the house, with pines planted 27 years ago now rising up to put their top foliage at eye level. It’s a striking outlook, complemented by a pond down there fed by a natural spring.
A door from the kitchen opens into a side porch which has been glassed in to provide a second covered access to the new lounge. Behind the kitchen is a laundry and adjacent to the back door is a toilet that’s handy when working out in the gardens. The generous double garage has covered access off the back door.
From side porch, family room, or dining/conservatory, you can stroll out into the gardens, beginning with a lawn framed by retained gardens. Steps beneath a pergola at the end lift you to the larger lawn beyond, framed by more plantings and offering those long valley views to the sea horizon. A timber summerhouse sits back among the boundary trees.
A grassy path curves down the property from the top lawn, past more plants and trees, back to the driveway, through the side plantings and a shelter hedge to an enclosed area where John and Rosemary have their vegetable gardens. They are big enough now, but there’s enough space here to create a good-sized horticultural operation, all protected by japonica hedges.
There are 70 strawberry plants becoming established now, and peas are also a good crop, John says. Last year, no peas were bought for their meals, having frozen their whole crop. A three-bay shed, one bay of which can be closed covered and secure storage.
This district at Tarurutangi has a supportive community, say John and Rosemary. A Christmas dinner is held each year in the hall just down the road and its 90 seats are quickly sold out. Nearby tennis courts are well used and table tennis is played in the hall.
A timeless home like Villa Heights is a treasure, says Robert Angus Real Estate consultant Angela Maindonald, who is marketing the property. Its bed-andbreakfast features add an income option to its space, comfort and family appeal, she says. up, provides