Enchanting character in the heart of Island Bay
TENDERS CLOSE on August 10 for a picturesque character home on an enchanting and unusually large section in the heart of Island Bay.
The three-bedroom house, at 305 The Parade, was built in the early 1920s and is for sale only because owners Claire and Karl Ratahi are shifting to Nelson.
‘‘We bought it for the garden,’’ Claire says. ‘‘There aren’t too many full-sized sections left in Island Bay.’’
Not only have they ‘‘tamed’’ what was an overgrown 761-square-metre section but also they’ve renovated and extended the 163sqm weatherboard-and-tile roof dwelling to make it spacious and comfortable while respecting its past.
‘‘She’s a grand old girl and has been really well looked after,’’ Claire says.
The Ratahis sanded the matai floorboards, revamped the kitchen, fitted radiator gas central heating, and added a family room with a window seat and bifolding doors to a wraparound deck they built.
The family room is open-plan with the kitchen and faces east over the rear garden, with its large flat lawn, raised garden beds and glasshouse.
The partly covered deck has a roofline that matches the pergola off the west-facing living/dining room, which overlooks the front garden with its griselinia hedge – as does the sunroom to the left of the front door.
This warm, charming space adjoins the main bedroom and affords it a view over The Parade.
Like the other two doublebedrooms that come off the central hall, it has bespoke built-in wardrobes with drawers. At the end of the hall is the bathroom, with its deep bath, shower cabinet, pedestal basin and toilet.
The kitchen is open-plan with the family room and was designed with entertaining in mind, Claire says. It includes two Fisher & Paykel underbench ovens, gas hob, integrated rangehood, double DishDrawer dishwasher, refrigerator-freezer, stainless steel benchtops and an island with a Trethewey Stone breakfast bar.
Two of David Trubridge’s Kina light shades decorate the carpeted family room, which measures about 35sqm, while the window seat has built-in storage.
Other features include an office that could be a fourth bedroom, a single garage, a washhouse with concrete tubs and a storeroom, exposed aggregate, and an outside toilet.
‘‘We’re going to miss not just the house but also the area,’’ Claire says. ‘‘Island Bay is an amazing community. It’s very family-oriented and we have fantastic neighbours all around.
‘‘It’s also been great living so close to the village, with its move theatre, restaurants and supermarket, and to the beach.’’
The property has a rateable value of $840,000.