SCHOOL ZONES:
Newmarket School, Auckland Normal Intermediate, double Grammar.
CONTACT:
Leila MacDonald, 021 928 926 or 09 215 4394, David MacDonald, 021 650 901 or (09) 215 4395
*PLUS 2 OFF-STREET PARKS
Twelve years ago, when they were expecting their first child, Vinita Gordon and Ronald Mudaliar made the move into the city from Albany.
Ronald wanted to cut down on commuting time and they were looking for a home that could also accommodate Vinita's mother, who was planning to stay withthem to help out with the newborn.
While Vinita's mother changed her plans, the couple went through with the purchase of this Epsom home, which could have coped with any number of visiting relatives. In fact, Ronald says they had once had 20 family members staying for the new year and "they all fitted comfortably".
It's easy to see why, as this home has nine bedrooms spread across the main home, a separate downstairs apartment and the loft over the garage.
Ronald says the house was owned by a woman who rented accommodation to students and, although it was large when they bought it, the couple extended it further by adding an upstairs level. Keeping true to the villa's 1907 vintage wasn't easy but they managed to find craftspeople who could do plaster work for the pillars, scotias and picture rails, and create the beautifully curved wooden handrail that leads upstairs.
The new rooms mirror the elegance of those downstairs thanks to the couple being scrupulous about continuing the look of the architraves, joinery and board and batten ceilings.
"It wasn't easy finding people who could still do this work," says Ronald. "And it does take more time, but we wanted to keep it as much like the rest of the house as we could."
A ground floor bedroom was sacrificed to accommodate the grand staircase, which is in keeping with the wide hallways and high stud of the original part of the home. Near the staircase is the main bathroom and a double bedroom.
Upstairs are two bedrooms, both with en suites. Their son's bedroom is on the street side of the house while the larger master bedroom is towards the rear and has a west-facing balcony overlooking the outdoor entertaining area. It also boasts a large dressing room and an en suite with double shower.
Image 1 of 12: The addition of a new floor in period style has made all the difference to this home
Inside the front door there is a large bedroom on one side of the hallway and on the other a formal lounge with gas fire and luxurious drapes, one of Vinita's many interior design touches along with the rugs scattered throughout the house.
The soft furnishings and strategically placed chandeliers and mirrors give the living areas opulence and charm as you transition from the formal lounge to the formal dining area through to the kitchen and into the large family living room at the rear of the home, which is heated by a gas fire.
The couple doubled the size of the family room by closing in an east-facing deck and made the western side of the house the focus of outdoor living by landscaping it and installing a built-in barbecue and sink beside a raised patio.
Downstairs, the apartment has three bedrooms, a bathroom, kitchenette and laundry. It also opens to the west and has its own patio and separate entry -- and it can be buzzed from the intercom at the gate by visitors. In the past, the couple has rented it out to doctors and lecturers.
"It's like a hotel down there," says Vinita.
"It's fully furnished and fitted out so you can just walk in, walk out."
At ground level, the home is securely fenced and has a keyless security system. An electric gate allows access to the off-street parking and double garage. At the rear of the garage is a bathroom, and upstairs there are two more bedrooms.
Ronald and Vinita have also installed a C-Bus lighting controller and, aware that large villas can be cold, some underfloor heating and radiant panels. With just the three of them in this large home, the family is looking for a new home in the same area but without quite so much floor area.
