Country quiet, city-style low maintenance

AN ARCHITECTURALLY designed home in the country without the maintenance of a lifestyle block is for sale for the first time since it was built.

The four-bedroom house at 230 Murphys Rd, Judgeford, is a 330-square metre Novak +Middleton design surrounded by about five hectares of predominantly native bush.

It has a cedar and double-glazed exterior with a Colorsteel roof and portico access to an exceptionally large garage and workshop that could be reconfigured to park or store five cars.

‘‘This is a gorgeous home in the country that you can enjoy without the life sentence of a lifestyle block,’’ Jason Clark of Clark & Co Realty says.

‘‘There’s a paddock for a pony or a few sheep, and potential to develop an orchard or garden, but otherwise it’s very much lock-up and leave.’’

The split-level house was built in the 1990s and stands out for its native timbers, matai floorboards, abundant natural light, extensive outdoor living and extraordinary attention to detail (including bespoke joinery and hand-made copper light shades).

The front door opens into a spacious slate entrance, with the guest bedroom to the right.

All the bedrooms are doubles with French doors to decking and built in wardrobes (one also has a mezzanine for kids).

The main bedroom suite is on a separate level, with a west-facing balcony overlooking native bush and farmland.

It also has underfloor storage, two walk-in wardrobes and an ensuite with a claw-foot bath, shower cabinet, pedestal and toilet (the main bathroom is similarly specified).

The formal lounge has a woodburner and opens to a wraparound veranda while the entertainer’s kitchen is open-plan with the family and dining areas that share the same veranda.

The kitchen and family/dining areas also have in-wall or in-ceiling speakers while the lounge has speaker outlets.

Kitchen chattels include a double wall oven, a gas and electric cooktop, Bosch dishwasher and island.

Other features include a woodburner and window seat in the family area, atrium glazing over the dining space, heated floors in the bathrooms and carpeted bedrooms, a car port and covered parking for a boat or motorhome.

‘‘This is a beautifully executed Novak+Middleton design that makes the most of its idyllic seclusion,’’ Clark says.

‘‘The attention to detail is as sublime as the setting, which is only 10 minutes’ drive from Hutt City.

‘‘And when the Transmission Gully motorway is completed, it will be only 20 minutes or so from Wellington City.’’

The property has a rateable value of $1.21 million and a deadline sale date of April 3.