Hidden treasure

Tucked away on Mt Albert is this fantastic, spacious family home with impressive panoramic views. By VICKI HOLDER.

By city standards, this large property high on Mt Albert is as big as they come. Feasting on panoramic views from the Manukau Heads to north harbour, it remains inconspicuous and hidden by surrounding homes.

Those walking along the street below simply don't realise it exists, which is just the way the owners, Kelly and Judith Peters, like it.

In their mountain retreat, the Peters and their three boys hide from the rest of the world, enjoying peace and privacy - except when they entertain. With so much space, they have ample opportunity to celebrate in grand style and hold huge parties inside or out.

They have rigged up a marquee on the lawn in front of the house, which lounges, long and low, on a plateau in the middle of a huge piece of cross-leasable land. Flanked by a bare, subdividable section that they bought many years ago, it ensures they will always be separate from their neighbours lower down the hill. The garden extends in every direction, giving the property a serenity most city locations lack.

Built in the 1950s by the Pickens family, whom the street is named after, the house was a vanguard of modern design. In an appealing classic North American ranch style, it included features that are now being incorporated in new homes, which make it a wonderful family home for today.

Spacious living areas ease onto adjoining terraces and decks, forming one continuous outdoor entertaining area embracing the north-western aspect of the house.

Sun pours inside to warm the elegant interiors, which have recently been updated for a contemporary feel but still respect the simplicity of the home's original 1950s character. The colours are muted naturals, relying on fashionable accessories to enliven the scheme.

Textured silk wallcoverings and crystal chandeliers make an impact in the spacious entry foyer. The look continues in the generous formal entertaining lounge directly in front, where floor-to-ceiling windows frame the views. The lounge extends into the garden, sheltering an alfresco dining area off the family living and dining room next door.

A new pale timber floor in the family area matches a traditional American-style, limewashed, solid oak kitchen with small-paned glass cupboards and white Corian benchtop. Wherever you look when you're standing in the kitchen, you gain uplifting views of the subtropical garden to the rear or the rest of Mt Albert with the harbours as a backdrop.

Handy for entertaining, an oak bar servery around the corner includes a bar fridge and substantial storage for drinks and glassware.

A passage from the family area heralds a series of utility rooms, including a big storage area with a built-in ironing board behind bifolding doors. There is also the laundry, a bathroom and an internal door to the double garages.

The passage opens to an enormous, all-encompassing casual entertainment room. As Kelly and Judith mingle with their adult friends in the formal area of the house, the children can spread out and relax, listen to music or watch television in this comfortable lounge. Being a sports-minded family, the Peters have installed a gym at one end of the room.

This family doesn't need to travel far to get fit. Bifolds open the entertainment room to the deck, which is linked to a large indoor swimming pool complex with spa and bathroom. All the Peters' children and some of their friends have learnt to swim in the solar-heated pool.

Four double bedrooms are grouped as far from the public sphere of the house as possible. The master bedroom in front basks in all-day sun. Opening through white plantation shutters and french doors, it steps out to a patio. It retains the original, built-in, clean-lined vanity and wardrobe, and the renovations have included the addition of a modern, walk-in wardrobe.

A new tiled en suite includes a spa bath in a conservatory window where the Peters can admire the expansive view while they soak. Uplighters on the walls instill a soft, moody atmosphere.

Earthy paint colours have refreshed the other three bedrooms, all of which savour their privacy and garden views. A new family bathroom features the same elegant tiling and listello as the master en suite.

With dual street access, this well-equipped, hidden treasure offers a wonderful family home close to the city and everything a family holds dear.

Vital statistics:

ADDRESS: 14 Pickens Cr, Mt Albert.

FEATURES: Renovated, 1950s family home; panoramic city and harbour views; large, hidden cross-leasable property with two subdivided sections included in the sale, with option to buy the two sections separately; large living areas with formal and casual entertaining rooms; big terraces; four bedrooms; four bathrooms; large indoor swimming pool and spa complex; two street entrances.

SIZE: Land area includes 3291sq m piece of land with house and another 1487sq m of subdividable land in front.

TENDER: Closes September 24.

AGENT: Christine Borich, Ray White Goodwin Realty, Mt Albert. Ph 846 9184 bus; 849 4553 ah; 021 528 228 mob.