Northland

TENDERS CLOSE on February 5 for a stylishly modernised character home in a sublime setting teeming with native birds.

The city-end Northland property, at 56 Glenmore St, showcases how an urban home can achieve greenery, serenity and privacy in a relatively small space.

Built in the 1920s but progressively renovated over the last 20 years, the 107-square metre dwelling sits opposite the Botanic Garden on an elevated 362 square metre section with an off-street car park.

‘‘We walked in and it felt good, despite being one of the worst houses in the street,’’ owners Gillian and Richard say.

‘‘The location was lovely and it just felt fabulous.’’

As well as reconfiguring the threebedroom house to create a more practical layout and maximising storage, they’ve supremely landscaped the terraced section front and back with roses, buxus hedging, hydrangeas, natives, and olive, bay, apple and lemon trees.

‘‘This garden has been a great warmup for the next, much larger project we have planned for when we move north,’’ Gillian says of the fantastic mix of flowers, fruit, herbs and paved al fresco terrace.

The front door opens off a large eastfacing deck into an interior with a high stud and oak parquet flooring.

The living area faces the Botanic

Gardens and has floor-to-ceiling bifolding doors to the deck and customised shelving for ornaments, books and audio-video equipment.

Both the living and adjoining dining areas also have flat infra-red heaters discreetly mounted on the ceiling.

The dining area is open-plan with the kitchen, which includes joinery with an oak finish, stainless benchtops, and an electric range with four gas hobs.

The main bedroom has a triple wardrobe, with storage above, and a bay window overlooking a stunning flowering cherry tree.

The other bedrooms are both doubles; one has a built-in corner desk and both overlook the enchanting rear garden.

The modern bathroom has a walk-in shower, vanity, toilet and under-tile heating while the walk-in hideaway laundry has clothes drying racks and storage.

A sunroom with a tiled floor and white-painted dado opens to a westfacing courtyard that leads to a leafy, picturesque terraced garden that attracts tuis, grey warblers, fantails, kingfishers, kereru and kaka.

‘‘This house is a little bigger than a typical Thorndon cottage and it has a car park which is critical for this area,’’ Mike Robbers, of Lowe & Co Realty, says.

‘‘It seems like every inch of the house and land has been enhanced or preserved in a tasteful manner. The whole property is a true credit to its owners.’’

The property is being marketed with a buyer’s guide above $849,000.