APARTMENT LIVING
Townhouse ticks all the boxes, writes Donna McIntyre
When Lisa Schollum returned to live in Auckland in 2013, she was seeking an inner- city lifestyle similar to the one she had enjoyed in Sydney. “I was looking for something with that same vibrancy and a bit of a community feeling. It was a bit tough to find something similar in Auckland, but in the end a friend in the real estate industry helped me find this.
That was a big help as I was a young buyer on my own and I didn’t have a lot of experience.”
Her two- bedroom Eden Terrace townhouse is on three levels. Street entry has a single garage with storage and laundry on the left of the stairs to the next two levels.
Lisa says this part of her townhouse, one of seven boutique units at the end of Randolph St, represents the difference between mass apartment living and a more individual atmosphere.
“It is my favourite thing about this place as it means I can have a cat,” she says, indicating the catdoor in the garage entrance, “and a chest freezer, and I can load everything into my car and go straight out.”
Next level up has the kitchen and lounge with doors opening to the Juliet balcony.
“This area gets amazing afternoon sunlight,” says Lisa. She says the balcony is a good spot for a few pot plants and she loves the way the townhouse residents use their balconies in different ways.
“And we have a nice mix of buildings around here; it’s not like a big block of apartments. I like that there is a bit of character going on, a mix of industrial design plus different types of housing, great cafes nearby and also uptown Symonds St.”
The townhouse’s top level has two bedrooms, each with ample wardrobe storage, and a bathroom with an opening skylight. “That gets rid of any condensation in the bathroom,” says Lisa.
The main bedroom has a view over the city skyline; and in the second bedroom Lisa has a bed that folds up against the wall. “So, if you are a couple, it’s a bed for guests when needed.”
Recently, Lisa enlisted the help of a project manager to oversee improvements for the townhouse, including new kitchen with breakfast bar, new benchtops and appliances, new carpet and floor tiles, and having the interior painted.
Another aspect that appealed to Lisa about these townhouses is they had undergone reconstruction during the early 2010s. “They had a new certificate of compliance issued and for me, in a way, that is a good thing as the bank will always ask if buildings are leaky. Because this had a substantial rebuild I know, okay, it’s clear.”
Lisa is selling her townhouse because she is about to take on the “project of her life”, relocating her great- grandfather’s family homestead from the area acquired for new roading at Puhoi, to West Mahurangi. “And that all kicks off in December.”
“My townhouse is a first home buyer’s place. It’s in the city but you can have a cat, load up your car and go somewhere or go out on foot to Ponsonby, the city or Mt Eden. It has aspects of city living that apartment people sometimes miss out on.”