Follow the sun to family hideaway

Decking enveloping this surprisingly large villa means there’s areas for lounging, dining and cosying up by the fire, writes Louise Richardson

Claire Benton is a fourth-generation Grey Lynn resident so it’s no surprise she and ex-Wellingtonian husband Andy found themselves happily ensconced in a classic suburban villa, in Selbourne St, not far from where Claire’s father lives. Their home was built in the 1910s. Since then, a succession of families have left their mark on the property, that, on its long narrow section is far larger than its street-frontage might suggest.

The Bentons have been here nine years, in which time three children have arrived: Stella, 9, Zara 7, and Matthew, 4.

“Our contribution to its history is the new kitchen, the new family bathroom, plus the internal accessed garage and lower level,” says Claire.

“The excavations were major so we used a heritage consultant to help us with the consents and paperwork and we did the work in 2013, which was a surprisingly dry winter — thank goodness, but it still took three months to complete.”

At the time, Claire was expecting Matthew and the renovations included a bedroom for the family’s au pair and a separate laundry.

The garage is carpeted and has storage cupboards. “Everyone thinks of villas as having nowhere to put things but we’ve created space in almost every room,” says Claire.

On the main level, the wide, bright hallway has the handsome master suite with its bathroom and builtin wardrobes to the left, and two further double bedrooms to the right.

It’s the living areas where this home comes into its own. Beyond the bedrooms and guest powder room is an area with smart in-built shelving, big windows and a sunny dining nook.

Further on is the family room, of which the kitchen is a part. It’s sleek and elegant with great use of space and a handy butler’s pantry. “We had professional help with the design and in choosing the materials and we’re very pleased with the result,” says Andy.

The new family bathroom is just off this room and it’s been finished to a good standard. It’s not far from the french doors at the rear so children who’ve been playing in the garden can be deposited quickly into the shower.

Extensive decking enveloping the outside means it’s possible for the family to follow the sun around during the day with an area for lounging, an outdoor dining area and a fire for winter.

There’s enough space for the children to run around happily,” says Andy, who masterminded the lush, green, but essentially easy-care subtropical plantings.

“The back of the section is a private spot and basically, all we can see of the neighbours is the tops of their trees.”

In terms of the neighbourhood, Claire and Andy say it’s been friendly and welcoming with afterschool drinks for parents, and an open door policy for all the local children.

“It helps that most of us are families at a similar age and stage.”

Of course, the shops, cafes, supermarkets and gourmet food stores of Surrey Crescent are right on the doorstep too.

“That’s been great,” says Claire.

After a lifetime in Grey Lynn, Claire is moving a couple of suburbs away — with Andy and the children, as the family commences building their dream home in Mt Eden.

“It’s something that we’ve always wanted to do but it took a long time to find the right section,” she says. “It will be interesting — incorporating things that we’ve loved about this house while trying out others for the first time.”

Both say that they’ll miss villa living but that change is a good thing.

“We’re looking forward to a new challenge,” says Andy.