SCHOOL ZONES:
Remuera Primary, Remuera Intermediate, double Grammar
CONTACT:
Lorraine Young, Harcourts, 021 764 032.
AUCTION:
Onsite Wed Dec 21 at 1pm (unless sold prior).
*Plus 1
When Lori-Jay Ellis wanted to move close to Kings Prep for her son's schooling her initial read was that Remuera was a suburb devoted to large, higher maintenance homes.
But when Australian-born Lori-Jay delved a little deeper she found this block of six 1970s townhouses just three minutes walk down the hill from Kings Prep.
She says: "I loved the strong 1970s bones and the fact that it was something a little bit different.
"I actually first saw another one in the block which I missed out on at auction. Luckily the agent contacted me a couple of days later to say this one was being sold.
"That meant I ended up buying the end townhouse in the northwest corner which gets a nice amount of garden, so it all worked out very well."
Former marketing director Lori-Jay runs her own social media management company and has found it great being able to walk her six-year-old son Turner to his school.
She says: "On busy days such as Chapel it's just a godsend because it gets packed up there for parking. There are quite a few families who live in this street who walk their children up there."
She appreciates the fact the townhouse looks out on a lot of greenery yet is lock-up-and-leave making it easy for them to take trips out of Auckland on weekends.
Her property is freehold and shares a front driveway with one other. Hers is the left of two neighbouring single garages, bolstered by its own off-street parking spot.
Image 1 of 9: Remuera has much more to offer than just large homes. Photos / Fiona Goodall, Getty Images
A gated fence secures the rest of her grounds and she knows the previous owner had a puppy.
Lori-Jay says: "One of my favourite places to sit is out in this front part of the garden in the morning looking at all the birdlife we get around here."
The main entrance opens into the open-plan lounge-dining area with heat pump-air conditioning unit, which flows out to the rear patio and lawn. The living space adjoins a light-filled side conservatory room; its skylight able to be concealed with a pull-down blind if guests want to sleep there.
Lori-Jay says: "Turner is a big Lego fan so it's great he can spread it out all over the conservatory leaving the main living area free to relax in."
Previous owners had already done some renovation to the kitchen which features an engineered stone bench-top and neighbours a separate laundry plus a powder room.
Lori-Jay feels the clean simple lines of the staircase with dark wood top rail celebrate the home's era.
"I also think there's really good storage here for a house this size, with both bedrooms having walk-in wardrobes, a big under-stair storage area and lock-up cupboards in the garage."
Her rear bedroom is roomy and until recently she had a big Scandinavian rocker in one corner she and Turner would curl up in together to read. Between her bedroom and Turner's front bedroom are another separate powder room and a smartly renovated bathroom.
Lori-Jay says the bathroom feels like a total sanctuary with its insets of softly toned mosaic tiles, extra wide vanity, separate shower and deep stand-alone bath.
"I absolutely love the big bath but at first had to remind myself not to feel guilty about filling it because there aren't constant water restrictions here like in Australia."
Lori-Jay says her move to another property has marked a new leg of their lives in which her mother has moved over from Australia to live with them.
