Giant family-size or business base

33 Peel St, Westmere. Photo / Ted Baghurst

33 PEEL ST, WESTMERE

6

5

2

SIZE: Land 835sq m; house 342sq m.

PRICE INDICATION: current CV $1,480,000. Auction Wednesday Sept 11, 3pm.

INSPECT: Saturday/Sunday 2.30-3pm.

ON THE WEB: uprealty.co.nz/UPH10884

SCHOOL ZONES: Westmere Primary, Ponsonby Intermediate, Western Springs College, Auckland Girls' Grammar.

CONTACT: Lynn Gore, Unlimited Potential, ph 0274 734 500.

FEATURES: Cleverly refurbished villa with return veranda . Landscaped pool and terraces in backyard; original stable building used as double garage/workshop. Sea views, tropical garden, and plenty of parking - an inner-city rarity. *Plus offstreet carport

If you've been around for long enough, a house can have a number of lives. And if you're a smart owner, you can be responsible for breathing new energy into a tired old dame. This was the case for Anne Sadler and her husband, Henry, when they took on a classic turn-of-the-century villa tucked behind a hedge on the corner of Peel and Warnock Sts in Westmere.

Eight years ago, behind the return veranda in the classic bay-fronted house, was a jumble of three flats, chopped about in previous renovations some time in the 80s. With the help of architect John Cornthwaite, six and a half years ago the couple tidied the floor plan and brought the house back to its original glory.

"There are lots of possibilities here, especially with the Residential 5 zoning," explains Anne. "We've run a bed and breakfast here, had four kids come and go, with up to 10 mates staying for the weekend. I've moved my business into the downstairs. Under the unitary plan, with all this land, it could be more."

Originally, the property was stables for a local cartage business. The great-granddaughter of the original owner remembers tales of a Mr Redwood's carriages, and her grandmother having to scrub the steps. Today, the rambling old stables are unexpected bonus space - the couple use them for storage and clear roofing in one corner allowed a glasshouse - but this corner site begs to be rebuilt into a modern garage and studio.

Then again, the space in the rest of the house would be plenty for most families. Henry became "mine host" for the aptly named Henry's B&B. A clever reconfiguration of the stairway to the second floor gave the guest suite its own entrance off the veranda, with a lobby that can be closed off from the main house.

The suite perfectly shows off inner-city Auckland: a deck off the living room has views to Cox's Bay. The space has a breakfast nook, a luxury bathroom, and a good sized bedroom.

In the main house, removing that stairwell meant the grand entrance hall was restored to its proper proportions. Each of the three traditional front bedrooms has an en suite, closets and high studs. Double doors open to the main living room, which in turn opens to the kitchen-dining room. The house now flows to the garden below, after the two decks were enlarged and stairs installed to the ground-floor dining deck. The kitchen, with its Ilve oven, double fridge and built-in coffee machine, made hosting guests easy. The couple have hosted a wedding for 100, plus smaller family gatherings.

A second stairwell leads to the ground-floor living. Formerly a self-contained flat, it now houses Anne's fashion business. The couple also renovated the garden and fenced the pool in modern glass.

But the children have long flown the coop, the couple no longer run the B&B and they figure it is time to downsize to something for just two people.