NEXT-LEVEL LIVING
One family saw even more opportunities in their perfect home, discovers ROBYN WELSH
Mark Shapland and his three teenage children are leaving this sunny house in a place that is better than perfection.
It was just perfect for their needs when they moved here seven years ago but they saw even more opportunities to add lifestyle value. Now, they reckon they have ticked off their A-plus improvements to every last corner.
Off the kitchen, a length of artificial turf was ideal for these then school-age youngsters to play on, while still feeling close enough to the rest of the family. But off the boys’ bedrooms at the bottom of the property, a back lawn that was patchy, uneven grass wasn’t cutting it as a place to kick a ball around in.
Mark had that sizeable area levelled and topped with matching artificial turf and he says it was the best decision they ever made for their outdoorloving family. “I love grass but the kids weren’t using the downstairs area. Now they’re down there all the time.” .
Their imaginative transformation of a lacklustre patio into fireside courtyard living off their mid-level media room has delivered more lifestyle choices. Importantly, they spent a good year or so living with the space as it was, while they explored their design options.
“We could see the magic in this area and we talked about it and got the feel of it.
“The longer we lived in it the way it was, the more we have appreciated it because we were utilising the space in a different way,” says Mark.
“We had set aside a budget when we moved here to do this because in our previous house we did the renovations just before we moved out. This time we wanted to do it early on and get the most out of it, rather than leaving it too late.”
This family’s enviable choices of sheltered outdoor living also include the louvered internal courtyard that overlooks the pool. Their pleasure in all of these spaces has been enhanced by the lack of any alterations inside thanks to the vision of the original architect and the two owners prior to them.
The mid-level living area can be left as one open space or closed off with glass doors. The design of the kitchen combines practicality and understated elegance.
Parallel wall storage flanks the island bench, delivering a seamless long view beyond the dining area and kitchen to the rear garden. On either side of that rear picture window, two floor-to-ceiling glass doors open to the top “lawn”.
The bathrooms are unchanged too. “They are simple and classic. The previous owners did such a great job,” says Mark, a businessman in the transport sector with an eye for good design.
With bedrooms on the top and bottom floors, this threestorey home has worked equally well for young children and teenagers. “It is incredibly rare to find an architecturally designed masonry home offering such a substantial list of features and unique lifestyle in this price range,” says Steen Nielsen from Ray White. Sale: Auction June 29
Contact: Steen Nielsen, Ray White, 027 557 8336
“It is incredibly rare to find an architecturally designed masonry home offering such a substantial list of features and unique lifestyle in this price range.”