Tony Alexander: Will the LVR rules be enough?
REMUERA
19C Westbourne Rd 3 2 2
Indonesian-born John de Geus loved warm climates, sunshine, socialising and Auckland city. His family moved to Auckland during his childhood and, in his eyes, the city never lost its sparkle.
When he came down this private driveway to check out this house 30 years ago, he knew that the roads he’d trodden all his life had led to this nirvana. From every view point, this home was ideal for entertaining friends and family.
“The house was perfect for him,” says his daughter Suzanne de Geus. “It was bathed in sunshine and he loved being warm, He was drawn to warm climates. When he saw the view out to his beloved Rangitoto Island, the harbour and Devonport, he said, ‘I’m never going to leave this place. I’m never moving.’”
True to his word, John, a well-known plastic surgeon, never left. He lived here until his unexpected death last October, shortly after he’d finished his latest project here. He had decided it was time to replace two upstairs bedroom decks with one full-length glass balustrade deck and he brought in architect Melanie Bourke to lead the project.
John’s selective tweaks to this house over the years were driven more by enhancing his expansive social life than change for the sake of change. He was gregarious, he loved cooking and he loved hosting people here where two ground floor living areas open out to his garden and his refurbished, heated, salt-water pool.
“This has been the family home, hub for our extended, blended family and it has been fantastic,” says Suzanne. “It’s a very easy home to live in.”
Built in the 1980s, this textured concrete/ weatherboard house has a grand sense of space beneath its vaulted concrete-tiled roofline. John’s first modernisation 15 years ago included adding a parking bay for seven cars, and space for turning around. “It was all about making it easier for everyone,” says Suzanne.
Inside, it included new bathrooms, a repaint and just one small structural change in the living area. John took out a wall to open up the dining room to a new kitchen, with its bay window garden view and a waterfall bench/bar by the dining room.
Every year, Boxing Day was “satay day” for 50 or 60 guests treated to the famous Indonesian satays that he’d cook from his suitably equipped kitchen designed to accommodate multiple helping hands.
For visitors from London, where he did his surgical training, and countries including Fiji where he did charity medical work, it was a magical experience. “Coming from the heart of London and
Modernisations to the house were all about making it easier for everyone.
seeing this view made it the quintessential Kiwi experience,” says Suzanne.
Ray White’s Steve Koerber says “I hear so often that downtrading empty nesters can't find an affordable low-maintenance lock-and-leave home with harbour views. This house has it all.”
Auction: March 10
Contact: Steve Koerber, Ray White, 021 864 166; Nila Koerber, 021 723 559