Ridge-top site with harbour view
Couple found space to breathe in a 1960s subdivision and property linked to famous name, writes Robyn Welsh
Once productive market garden land, this Katavich Pl neighbourhood is now an enclave of executive homes that date back to the late 1960s. One home built shortly after Peter and Rose Katavich first subdivided the area is where Grant and Marion Coyle have lived for the last 32 years.
They are only the second owners. That houses here have had few changes of owners is not unusual — several Katavich family members remain.
Grant and Marion came here in 1986 looking for more space after their home in Mt Albert was becoming overshadowed by a build next door.
They drove into this cul-de-sac, walked into the house with the “open home” sign, checked out the upstairs living areas, bedrooms and bathrooms, then went down the internal stairs to inspect the garage and utility rooms.
“We went out to the car, turned around and came back and bought it,” says Grant, who teachers computer skills to seniors.
For Marion, it was the size of the house that appealed. For Grant, it was its openness.
“It had lots of windows. It was really light and airy,” he says.
The house was built in 1969 for Ian Hay and his wife Diana. Ian was managing director of Keith Hay Homes and worked with his design team to plan it. He and Diana moved in in 1970.
“It had nothing to do with Keith Hay Homes,” says Ian. “It was our house. We designed it and built it for ourselves.”
Ian’s choice of the ridge-top corner site was a win on all sides. It gifted the house with a wide, elegant street frontage and maximised the upstairs views out to Manukau Harbour’s south head and the Waitakere Ranges.
The rear natural slope was perfect for twin garages and room for a trailer, the storage room and another room that has been both an office and an extra bedroom. On every level, Grant and Marion saw no need to change the layout.
To improve flow, they removed the doors between the dining room and the lounge.
They closed in the original south-west-facing deck off the lounge to create a multi-purposed nook that is their home office.
Elsewhere they have updated the lounge fireplace and rebuilt the rear deck, taking out the original built-in brick barbecue. Decor-wise, they have twice updated the bathrooms, including the master en suite.
In the kitchen, they updated the cabinetry some years ago and refreshed it more recently with a wraparound engineered stone bench. Throughout the home, Grant and Marion have retained significant details, including the decorative lounge cornice that is part of the curved solid plaster ceiling, and the matching interior, wardrobe and linen cupboard doors that have original decorative moulding.
There is much that Grant and Marion will miss about this house, but they’ll retain close ties here as they move down the hill into a retirement village.