SCHOOL ZONES:
Parnell Primary, double grammar zone.
CONTACT:
Simon Siddells and Scott Cousins, Ray White, Remuera, Simon 027 605 8067 or Scott 021 054 8915.
Thousands of people already know a little of the inside story of this Victorian worker's cottage on the corner of Brighton Rd and Elam St. Toni Vail reckons some 6000 pregnant women have been here as patients of the independent midwifery practice she and her partner, Jan Clifton, have runfrom here since 1992.
Before that countless women, including a few who later returned as patients, bought imported Italian knitwear here, from the woman who ran her enterprise from the 80s-style glass conservatory tacked on to the corner of the cottage.
But no one else has quite the perspective on this place that Jan has. Hers came about purely by accident last year, right at the end of more than 20 years of progressive renovations and she has their Burmese cat, Molly, to blame for it.
During alterations to the upstairs en suite, the cat fell through an open wall, disappearing down into the darkness. Jan went in to retrieve her and toppled head-first into the insulated cavity between the wall of the downstairs lounge and the red brick of the fireplace.
The cat found her own way out but Toni had to call in a neighbour to help get Jan out. When she dusted herself off, she had news for them all. She'd seen the rough-hewn timber close up and she could indeed confirm that this house was built of kauri. Until then, the only kauri they'd uncovered was in the stripped back fire surround and in the demolition flooring installed during 1980s structural extensions and subsequently covered in multiple layers of flooring materials.
Built in 1907, the original cottage comprised just two rooms on each side of a central hall. The upper storey was added some time later via stairs off to the left of the front door. On the left past the stairs is Toni's and Jan's consulting room in what was an original room and which is an ideal second ground floor bedroom.
Next to the tiled bathroom, with its American cherrywood cabinetry, the consulting room has French doors out to the open front veranda which serves as the formal entrance for their clients.
Image 1 of 14: Aged 108, and significantly rejuvenated, this city-fringe villa offers an interesting past and a bright, cheerful future
Opposite, off the hallway, their renovated formal lounge includes a new gas fireplace, the original kauri surround stripped of its old paint and refurbished double-hung windows within the bay window area. Their new, angular conservatory with Australian hardwood floor is a natural extension of the lounge, with a mature ash tree at its apex in the front garden.
Laminated acoustic safety glass on the street frontages mitigates any traffic noise.
The detail behind the return to form of this Res 1 heritage-zoned home is the work of conservation architect Jeremy Salmond whose advice has enabled Jan and Toni to complete their restoration with the correct veranda fretwork and rooftop finials.
At the rear of the house off the family room, the semi-glazed pergola, with its tinted glass, shelters the outdoor dining area and its view of the tropical courtyard garden and goldfish pond that is also visible from the upstairs master bedroom deck.
The kitchen also looks out here beyond its benchtop bay window. This room is personality-plus with glossy, deep blue cabinetry as its backdrop. Says Toni, "We're not beige people."
For Jan and Toni, their work here is now done. They're at that same stage in the life of their independent midwifery practice, which they are in the process of winding down. They no longer need a home close to Auckland's hospitals and allied facilities. Instead, they plan to spend time north at their property in Russell before looking for a smaller base in Auckland.
