SCHOOL ZONES:
Freemans Bay School, Ponsonby Intermediate, Western Springs College, AGGs.
CONTACT:
Angela Saunders, Ray White, 021 448 900.
AUCTION:
July 27, 6.30pm (unless sold prior).
*1 covered park.
As rare as hens' teeth is the phrase that comes to mind when you consider none of Freemans Park's tightly held right-of-way houses have been offered on the market in the past five years.
That was back in 2011, when the couple who own this one bought it, upgrading fromanother residence in this park-like inner-city community.
Like many drawn to the complex, they're creative types: Louise Cuckow is a designer who used to work for Karen Walker and now designs fabrics for several New Zealand fashion labels and husband Jarrod Wright is a film editor.
Freemans Park started life as an innovative modernist urban housing scheme built by council in the 1960s. Louise and Jarrod first got to know it listening to friends who lived here praising its medium density living in park-like inner city grounds.
They started eyeing the highly sought houses while owning an elevated Freemans Park residence that looked out at foliage-level at mature trees.
The Park's various residential formats include two types of terrace houses -- r.o.w houses and maisonettes. The former are prized as they're larger, always have courtyards and no vertical neighbours, while somewhat smaller two-level maisonette homes top or tail other maisonettes.
Louise was so pregnant with Jemima (now nearly 5) when this house was auctioned that her mother and aunt went along to bid successfully for it on the couple's behalf.
Image 1 of 7: The community is difficult to get into and to leave. Photos / Ted Baghurst
Louise says: "We were delighted to get it. I'd been longing for a pram-friendly front door at ground level and our own courtyard opening out into the park."
"You're so close to everything including Ponsonby and the city.
"And you share in a wonderful sense of community. People picnic together on the lawns, children are always playing with other children."
They're within a block of eight concrete houses in the greenest part of the park, with a dedicated covered car-park nearby. Theirs is one of a few residences on reticulated gas for heating, cooking and water.
Louise loves admiring massive trees from her favourite spot on the couch in their sun-soaked north-facing open-plan living area. It opens to their courtyard, great for cat Tabitha, outdoor entertaining and growing lots of edibles. Its gate opens to the park beyond.
Their changes to the already-renovated two-level home with native timber floors have included re-painting inside plus adding decking and built-in seating to the courtyard.
Alongside their living-dining there's a cleverly designed understair office alcove plus understair storage.
They appreciated the previous owner's kitchen renovation with its prevalence of wood and wide drawers, pull-out pantry and rich glossy tiles -- so have only tweaked it.
Extra height upstairs lends airiness to a little landing, the bathroom-laundry, with bath and two bedrooms with floor-to-ceiling wardrobing.
The family were happily ensconced here, finding the set-up great even with one of them working from home. But now both Louise and Jarrod work from home and really need studio space. They're pleased the 70s terrace house they've bought is just up the hill so they can still hang out with Freemans Park friends and enjoy the ease of living inner city.
