QUICK LOOK
The masonry residence at 30 Shelter Grove in New Plymouth appealed to Terry and Rachel at first sight. The couple were looking for a home in the city after moving from Auckland and noted its appeal when driving past. The agent’s information that it had just been sold wasn’t quite the end of the story; there was a conditional contract on the property and Terry and Rachel were able to invoke the ‘cash-out’ clause to buy it themselves.
The street presentation may have caught their eyes, but the interior completed the captivation on their first visit. ‘‘When I came in the front door and looked up at the ceiling, I said ‘This is it’,’’ Rachel recalls. She also liked the space and light inside the living areas; she didn’t have to see the rest of the house to know it was the home for them.
This home still has an instant attraction inside and out today, with the added advantage of the wealth of landscaping completed in the 16 years the couple have enjoyed living here. It was just 18 months old when they bought it and landscaping had yet to be completed.
Today, the home nestles comfortably into the lush green frame of its 2011sqm section. That’s one of the drawcards of a Shelter Grove address; the sections are all generous. Many of them, like this property, are up to double the size of the traditional Kiwi quarter-acre. That allows a generous setback from the footpath, a sweeping drive up to the integrated double garage, off-street parking space for visitors, and a pleasing mix of specimen trees, gardens and lawn across the frontage.
A path from the driveway leads around to the riverstone half pillars and blackstained posts that support the side porch defining the front entrance. It makes a statement that this home was crafted with an eye for detail and an emphasis on quality.
Inside the cedar front door is a welcoming foyer, where two tall doors with a tongue-and-groove finish open wide into the living areas. In here, that ceiling that impressed Rachel is sure to impress other first-time visitors. It angles up from the outside wall to the full height of the internal concrete spine wall.
Another pleasing design feature is seen underfoot, where the polished concrete floor is finished in a light earthy shade and scribed into one-metre squares. Large Persian carpet squares add colour and softness.
The kitchen sits against that back wall of the living areas, with a skylight set into the ceiling above it to throw natural light into the area. The dining area is located to one side, with the family area out in front of the kitchen and featuring its own raked ceilings. Terry and Rachel say they have switched those two areas around occasionally for a different look and effect.
A rich, mahogany base to the kitchen’s island bench contrasts with the pale, larchlike timber finish of the back cabinets. The couple upgraded the original kitchen with light-coloured, engineered-stone bench tops, new tapware, and quality appliances. Those appliances include a five-burner gas cooktop, a second oven that offers microwave and baking options, and a single Dishdrawer to complement the full-size main dishwasher. Rachel notes the convenience of a small sink on the back bench to complement the main sink on the island.
Terry says it’s a good kitchen for a couple. ‘‘Rachel and I can be working at each end without being in each other’s way.’’
Rachel appreciates being able to talk to visitors while she is in the kitchen, whether they are in the family or dining areas, or even outside on the concrete patio.
The open design of the living areas works well with the family area opening out through bifolding doors to that sheltered, private patio space. The patio runs along the sunny north face of the house and wraps around the end to finish outside the master bedroom, with a blackstained timber pergola following its length.
A wall runs out from the house to the northern boundary to provide privacy from the street for this rear half of the grounds. Double gates in the wall allow a trailer or ute to access the back of the property if needed.
The formal lounge adjacent to the main living area is a darker, more intimate space with its Greyfriars painted walls. ‘‘It’s nice in winter,’’ says Terry. ‘‘We can close the doors and have the gas fire on; it’s very cosy.’’
The darker colour is an advantage for presenting artworks on the walls, says Rachel. ‘‘It makes the paintings ‘pop’.’’
The lounge also opens out to that long sunny patio through a set of French doors, while windows can slide away from the corner to add a sense of the alfresco to this part of the room.
Along the hallway behind the living areas are the home’s four bedrooms, an office or study, the tiled family bathroom, a separate toilet, a walk-in storeroom illuminated by the other half of the skylight over the kitchen, the separate laundry, and the door into the oversized double garage, which has room for the ride-on mower. The latter is a negotiable item of this property sale.
The master bedroom suite at the western end of the house has a feature wall painted in the same Greyfriars colour as the lounge. French doors open to the patio where it wraps around the end of the living areas, and another set of sliding corner windows make this a light and airy room.
The ensuite features tiles in an earthy shade that is a darker variation of those in the family bathroom.
Two of the guest bedrooms are located at the opposite end of the house to the master bedroom, a separation that works well for family or visitors, says Rachel.
A walk around the grounds reveals a sunken garden where an old timber swing frame has become a structural feature, a vegetable garden masked by camellia hedging and offering the ease of raised garden beds, and a variety of established specimen trees that add colour and texture along the border of the expansive lawns. There’s plenty of room out here for a family to enjoy their preferred sport; a game of football, maybe, or set up a volleyball net.
Behind the house in the services area, handy to the door from the laundry, is a herb garden for easy inclusion of green flavours to family meals.
Jamie Gemmell from Western First National is marketing the property, which she says offers exceptional, timeless style. ‘‘It’s superb for entertaining or relaxing with family and friends, and is privately positioned on a gorgeous, established 2011sqm setting.’’