Epsom: Fare thee well

A major renovation has updated a solid villa for family living, and made safe a relic of its past.

4 Atherton Road, Epsom.

Tales of life in this congenial family home have passed down from owner to owner, including the one about the family car that started being swallowed.

Current vendor Deborah Moodie explains how previous owners told a great story about waking up one morning to find the front of their Mercedes stationwagon tilting skywards while the back was disappearing underground. Apparently an old well under the dirt floor of their garage had started to re-open.

The well is now ancient history, robustly filled in to ensure its only legacy is the occasional quip by Deb's husband Mark that the back lawn should be well-draining.

Previous inhabitants of the 90-year-old transitional villa will be pleased to know it still hums with a warm family ambience after being meticulously renovated.

Deb and Mark were desperate for a family home some eight years ago when a move to Auckland had them house hunting for a solid week with their three kids in tow.

Their hunt ended with the solidly-crafted villa they felt epitomised Kiwi family tradition. The hard work was just starting, as they set about the grunt work of reconfiguring the layout and renovating.

Friends since high school, the duo can now laugh about how an argument boosted their energy enough to complete the backbreaking task of removing asbestos-laden lino flooring with sharpened spades.

Even the kids pitched in, Mark remembers proudly, recalling youngest son Lewis as a nappy-clad toddler, stumblingly helping move pavers.

Lewis and siblings Sam and Maddie slept dorm-style in the lounge for a spell during remodelling, distancing them from the chilly open rear and its makeshift barbecue-cum-kitchen.
``It was so cold,'' Deb says, ``I remember seeing the cat miaow inside and steam came off his breath.''

The atmosphere is much warmer now, with open fires supplementing the glow of kauri floors. Deb recently completed a fine arts degree and was inspired by her lineage (three generations of forestry workers and saw millers) to hang spare kauri wall slabs from remodelled interior walls as hallway art.

She gave others to a delighted previous resident who popped in to show his children his beloved childhood home, sharing memories of racing trolleys down nearby Empire Road.

The front of the villa houses an oversized lounge and three bedrooms, while a much-used kitchen/family space encompasses the rear. The elegant formal dining room next door now hosts dinner parties rather than lino-hacking sessions.

The rear transitions to a covered deck, then to the private rear garden's heritage-style hot tub. The new garage's position offers internal access, abundant ceiling storage and somewhere for the children to play table football.

Off the central hallway are a huge bathroom and the stairway up to the serene master suite. It's hard to believe this used to be a lad's rumpus room, complete with indoor rugby terraces and a dubious scorecard of notches carved into the windowsill.

Deb admits to sneaking peaks at prospective buyers admiring the property, hoping another young family will be charmed by the way it blends character with functional family living.

Meanwhile, she and Mark are itching to find another home that can have its shine restored through renovation.

VITAL STATISTICS

BEDROOMS: 4

BATHROOMS: 2

GARAGES: 2+

SIZE: Land 667sq m, house 213sq m.

PRICE INDICATION: Similar homes in this central location attract prices in excess of $1.2 million. Auction tomorrow, July 2, at 12.15pm on site.

INSPECT: Sat 12-12.45pm, Sun 11.30am-12.15pm, or by appointment.

ON THE WEB: www.harcourts.co.nz/EP060616

CONTACT: John Hodgson, Harcourts, ph 638 7639 a/h, 021 929 847 mob.

FEATURES: Warmly renovated 1916 transitional villa in sought-after central cul-de-sac. Living areas include formal lounge and dining rooms plus modern family room opening to private covered patio and garden. Character features such as kauri floors throughout, culminating in upstairs master suite with walk-in wardrobe and en suite. Zoned for ENP, ANI, AGS, EGGS.