Easy living in Disraeli St
Fine detail, spacious living and minimal maintenance were the aspects Glenyss wanted in her new Hawera home when she began building in 2010.
Location at 19B Disraeli St was already decided; Glenyss was living next door and owned the adjacent level, easy-care section.
‘‘I enjoyed the privacy of this quiet area,’’ the retired educator says.
‘‘I enjoyed living close to town and to several schools, as well as King Edward Park, which is a great place to walk around the gardens and for the children to play in - or to go to the swimming pool.’’
This home was to be her first new build and she started with a plan for an A1 Homes brick-and-Linea board, four-bedroom plan, refining the layout to suit her needs.
‘‘I have enjoyed living here because I was able to build exactly what I had planned to, by altering the interior living space to a threebedroom-plus home with plenty of space and an upstairs area to give more outlook from an off-street back section.’’
Living areas and two bedrooms are on the ground floor; a rumpus room with office space, and the master bedroom with its walk-in wardrobe and ensuite bathroom, are located upstairs. The elevation of the upper rooms allows views of the Hawera Water Tower at night, the mountain during the day, and fireworks bursting over the town at various annual events.
Glenyss was careful to get the detail just right, and appreciated the assistance of her daughter and son-in-law. The house has quality appliances and additional aspects, such as video doorbells upstairs and down; phone jacks and television points in the garage all bedrooms, rumpus room/office, lounge and kitchen dining rooms; and security screen doors in the living areas. The smoke alarm is wired into the house alarm. There are heated towel rails, floor tiles and mirrors in bathroom and ensuite, plus a bubble bath in the family bathroom - which Glenyss says has been much appreciated by family members.
It’s a naturally sunny and warm house, but year-round comfort is assured.
‘‘In the lounge, there is a very effective, gas heater with a logfire flame display. A heat transfer system is ducted from the lounge to the passage, the back bedroom and the master bedroom upstairs – this has been useful both in summer and winter.
‘‘The ceiling fans are very effective in the lounge, rumpus room and upstairs master bedroom to better generate airflow on hot sunny days.’’
Glenyss specified a generously sized kitchen, one that would cater to more than one person moving around its space, and Furniture and Design in Normanby crafted it.
‘‘It has quality appliances – a large oven, a gas cooktop, a waste-disposal unit, and a dishwasher; as well as a large plumbed refrigerator for cool filtered water on tap.’’
The living area easily accommodates visiting family and friends. ‘‘It has good flow through to the outside area, which has a sunny aspect for barbeques or outdoor furniture.’’
She says the adjacent lawn is great for young children to play on, or for a dog to run around, and property is able to be enclosed as a gated area when necessary.
The internal-access double garage has a carpeted floor and space for one car to park with room for a large pool table, an extra fridge, and a television.
‘‘This garage area is like an extension to the living area – the tools and lawnmower are kept in one of the two garden sheds.’’
A favourite time has been in the morning, enjoying a coffee in the early sun that fills the living area, while solving a Sudoku puzzle. The view from here into the established gardens included her electrically operated water feature and the power connection will remain for new owners to easily install their own choice of water feature. The flexibility of the home’s layout will appeal to a variety of buyers, Glenyss suggests, from a working couple or family to retirees.