Catherine Masters: House full of milestones

Courtney Phillips will be sad to leave her house with the decks front and back and the super-large back yard.

The four-bedroom house is a short walk from the supermarket, gym and from one of "the best" cafes on the Whangaparaoa Peninsula — and it's only minutes to the sandy white beach she walks every day.

More than that, though, Courtney will miss the memories. Fourteen-month-old Kenza has had all her milestones here: "It's her first and only home — she took her first steps the other day."

Courtney and her partner were sitting in the lounge with the big picture window —through which you can see the sun rise — when Kenza walked a few steps into her mother's arms.

"I was like, 'oh my God'. It was one of those special moments."

If the house has been Kenza's first and only home, it has been Courtney's home since she returned from Melbourne around three years ago.

"I came home to settle down and that's exactly what happened. I ended up meeting a lovely man and having a baby.

"My sister renovated it because she knew I was going to come home, so she did it up for me.

"It's been a house of firsts for us. We've measured Kenza's height on the doorway, so it has a loving feeling to it."

Two big bedrooms with big wardrobes are at the front of the house. Further along the hallway are another two bedrooms.

From the hall you step into the lounge then go through into the open plan dining area and large kitchen, and off the dining area are french doors out to the deck and the large, fully fenced back yard with fruit trees, a trampoline and playground.

There are great neighbours in the small cul de sac where it feels safe for children to play, Courtney says, and the back yard is perfect for lots of children.

"My partner has children from a previous relationship so we've got a big blended family that come up on the weekends."

Courtney grew up in the area and one of her sisters lives up the road, so her children often come around to play, which is part of the reason the family is moving.

"We're looking to have another baby at the end of the year and it's a lot of children."

This is a good size house with four bedrooms, Courtney says, but the large family needs a bit more space.

Recently renovated and with timber floors throughout, Courtney and her partner didn't have to do much to the house but they did put in fencing at the front along with an electric gate.

"You feel safe because they ride their bikes up and down the path and they can't get out."

The back yard is "awesome" with "the best feijoa tree " and the house has a warmth which Courtney loves.

"It's always filled with kids or people which makes you feel good in here, especially with the sun and the back yard — it's awesome in summer.

"It's also close to the beach so every day I go for a big walk there."

Another feature she loves is having a deck at the front of the house as well as the back.

She likes to sit on the front deck in the afternoon where there is a front yard with a camellia tree and a jacaranda tree.

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