Bands of brothers
All about boys being boys in this 1912 villa, writes Sandra Goodwin
There’s no rule that you have to have three sons to own this property, but that would fit nicely with tradition. This 1912 return veranda, handy to Cornwall Park and Greenwoods Corner, was built for a family with three sons.
It was passed down down to of the sons, who also had three sons. When Richard and Beverley Allan bought the villa 32 years ago they had two sons and a third on the way.
Beverley says: “The lady selling it to us said ‘I hope you have another son’ — and we did. We moved into this house when our youngest was just a week old.”
Richard says: “The next buyers don’t have to have three sons, but they should know it’s a fantastic house to raise a family in. It’s got lots of space with really good-sized rooms and big flat grounds.”
The Allans had previously renovated a Royal Oak property. But as Richard travelled more for work he didn’t like the idea of Beverley trying to get little boys safely down from upstairs bedrooms should a mishap such as a fire happen when he was away.
Richard says: “We liked the location, grounds and character of this place, but renovating it was a necessity.
“When we bought it it was largely original, still with some scrim on the walls. We had three power points when we moved in.”
The renovation included extending and updating the house into its present-day character.
Beverley says: “We’ve got five grandchildren now who love it here.
“Our boys, who grew up playing cricket in the big backyard and being able to have all their friends around, hate that we’re selling, but it’s time for another family.”
Properties on the northern side of Pukenui Rd all had similarly large sections when the area was first developed, but some have since subdivided. Buyers might explore that option for this property.
The picturesque character home has a front fence and automatic gate. Abundant parking up the driveway bolsters oversized double parking in the rear garage-games room, built in keeping with the villa’s character.
The Allans wanted the grounds to incorporate big open spaces and swathes of lawn front and back. Some mature trees include a prolific walnut and a rhododendron, which Beverley says “creates a pink carpet when its flowers fall”.
The home has many traditional villa features, including polished timber floors, character fireplaces (supplemented by central heating) and leadlights, which the Allans replicated when they added upstairs. There’s also the separate garagegames room.
But the features that gobsmack most visitors are the exquisite pressed steel ceilings, in the hallway and many other rooms.
Downstairs includes four good-sized bedrooms and a beautifully renovated bathroom. A lovely formal lounge complements the sunny, spacious rear kitchen-dining-family rooms flowing out to the deck and grounds.
The Allans extended to create this area, which includes an entertainers’ kitchen with engineered stone bench tops and two ovens.
The master suite upstairs has a large bedroom with a dressing room and en suite, plus access to under-roof storage.
Across the expansive rear lawn is the garage and games room with french doors to the outside and an accompanying bathroom.
Richard says: “The boys’ friends spent lots of time here, and when they got older it was their friends’ meeting place before they went out to town.”
The couple are ready to downsize and spend more time at their Mangawhai Heads bach.