CONTACT:
Rita Herceg, 021 066 9852, or Alex Allan, 021 888 369, Barfoot & Thompson
Helen Scott's property buying wish list was very specific yet this charming villa in the tightly held suburb of Grafton managed to satisfy all her needs.
A big prerequisite was finding somewhere within walking distance of the CBD, where the IT project manager worked.
And no, an apartment wouldn't fitthe bill as Helen wanted somewhere with enough space for a vege garden where she could get her hands in the soil.
Helen says: "I also wanted somewhere single-level with three bedrooms and off-street parking. It took me two years of hunting before I could find the right house.
"When I walked in here I instantly knew it was what I wanted. It was a simple, clean, uncluttered home with beautiful character.
"It has been incredibly convenient living here. I can walk to so many places."
She bought the early-1900s villa in 2007 and has retained character features such as polished kauri floors and battened ceilings. Improvements she's made include re-roofing, re-painting inside and out, upgrading the kitchen, insulating and creating a bathroom plus an en suite from what was originally a single large bathroom.
The weatherboard villa has definite street appeal with attractive symmetry and a complimentary palette of paint colours. Another improvement she made was converting formerly single-off-street parking into two spots which are handy in this Grammar-zoned location so close to Auckland Hospital, the University of Auckland's Grafton campus and the Domain.
Helen says: "I love Grafton. I think it can be a little bit overlooked by people because it's such a small, defined area. This is such a quiet one-way street that people in the street often just walk down the middle of the road."
Image 1 of 6: A central suburbs villa has beautiful character. Photos / Fiona Goodall, Getty Images
The front master bedroom, like its neighbour across the hall, has an original, highly panelled sash window. It also boasts two sets of double wardrobes and the adjoining en suite Helen had created.
All three bedrooms are good sized with decent wardrobing. Two have character fireplaces, one functional and the other decorative.
A second bathroom opens off the hallway, which emphasises the high stud and gleaming kauri floors.
Helen finds the rear kitchen-living-dining spread a lovely area to spend time in. It feels light, welcoming and relaxed, warmed by a heat-pump and opening to a rear deck overlooking the simple but attractive rear garden.
"I love the all-day sun you get sitting here in the window seat by the dining table. It's a boxed window seat so you get the morning sun flooding in from the east and travelling right around to the west in the evenings."
She likes uncluttered benches so the new kitchen she had put in includes pull-down 'appliance garages' to help conceal any clutter. It also includes an integrated washer-dryer with a condenser as an alternative to the other laundry under the house.
Helen used a garden designer for the level rear garden, with cross-shaped brick paths intersecting the lawn, and made private by fences and a few mature trees.
Helen says: "You hear such lovely birdsong coming from out here."
She's farewelling this oh-so-convenient Grafton location to live near the sea in Kapiti.
