FAMILY RESORT IN SUBURBIA

Everything fell into place easily when couple Estelle and Grant went looking for a home to suit their children’s teenage years and found what visitors describe as a little resort or oasis.

Fourteen years ago, with their eldest about to start high school, they wanted somewhere close to Mt Albert Grammar School, with great sun and generous grounds that would suit the golden retriever they’d just got.

Estelle says: “We’d barely started looking but saw this, thought ‘oh, this is it’ and put in a pre-auction offer.

“It ticked all our boxes. It was a short walk to MAGS. It had all the space we needed inside, including a beautiful living area with elevated north-facing views across the trees to Mt Eden, flowing out to a substantial rear deck.

“Its peaceful 1171sqm grounds were fully fenced for our dog. The inground swimming pool was a bonus.”

As well as being zoned for Gladstone Primary and MAGS, their property within Mt Albert’s sought-after Golden Triangle is very near bus stops and about eight minutes’ walk to Mt Albert’s train station, shops and eateries.

Mt Albert Domain, reached from just across the road, is an off-leash dog park.

Level front lawn introduces the 1930s single-level weatherboard home. Polished matai gleams in the floor of the hallway and some of the four good-sized bedrooms, three of which they’ve added large built-in wardrobes to. There are two bathrooms.

The spacious rear living room with north-facing view and cosy gas fire retains character with its beamed ceiling and builtin bookcases.

Estelle says of the kitchen-dining room with walk-in pantry: “Grant loves cooking here.”

The lounge flows out to the covered part of the expansive deck, where Estelle often sits with cup of tea or wine in hand, taking in the view.

“I tell people this is the best seat in the house. It’s like living in a very private park here, with the big trees and all the space.

“The volcanic soil has produced amazing crops of vegies and fruit from our variety of fruit trees. We’ve run out of new recipes for the hundreds of avocados we get from our tree,” she says.

Grant reclad the sun-drenched deck with Vitex hardwood and it’s featured large in sports club celebrations, birthday parties and other entertaining.

The side double garage has mezzanine storage bolstered by under-house storage. It’s served as a teen hangout and then Grant’s woodworking workshop, seeing there’s four-car open-air parking.

A landscaper helped them update the pool area, where Grant swims October to May and a flotilla of Christmas-present inflatables including unicorn, hotdog and giraffe have been launched.

The rear grounds incorporating a builtin pizza oven, garden shed, glasshouse and raised vegetable beds culminate in a picturesque garden studio-hobby room.

“We’ve had fantastic Easter egg hunts here for our young nieces and nephews,” Estelle says. Now empty-nesters, Grant is a keen surfer so the couple are moving near a beach.

Ray White agent Anne Duncan says: “This property is somewhat of a surprise package as you don’t know what you’re getting until you walk in the front door.

“From there you can see right through the house and over the resort-like grounds, taking in a north-facing view towards the city.”

“The volcanic soil has produced amazing crops of vegies and fruit from our variety of fruit trees.”