SCHOOL ZONES:
Newton Central School, Kowhai Intermediate, Auckland Girls' Grammar School, Western Springs' College.
CONTACT:
Bruce Murtagh, Barfoot & Thompson, ph 360 2323 or 021 433 669.
FEATURES:
Spacious, sunny, renovated four-bedroom bungalow on a level site with excellent indoor-outdoor flow and a separate, fully wired garden studio.
When Melanie Matthews returned home in 2003 after living in London for four years she knew exactly what attributes a house in Auckland would need to include.
"I am quite a list writer and it took a long time to get exactly what I wanted but it was worth thewait and all of the searching," says Melanie.
Her key requirements were off-street parking, and a north-west facing, flat and accessible section that flowed directly out from the living area of the house. It took a year for Melanie and her former partner to find what they wanted in Turakina St, one of several streets running west off Great North Rd in Grey Lynn.
Initially they tried to buy the house next door - number 3 Turakina St - which had been renovated to create excellent indoor-outdoor flow. "That house ended up being beyond our budget at the time. But when this one came on to the market in late 2004, I realised it had similar potential because the footprint was exactly the same."
Melanie says the numbering of the two houses is misleading. They are both freehold, side-by-side properties, and not part of a crosslease arrangement, despite the split numbering which came about because both sections - as well as two that back on to them from Sussex St - were once the single site of St Joseph's School before it burnt down in the 1920s and was rebuilt in Great North Rd.
The unassuming front of Melanie's four-bedroom Californian bungalow is also deceptive. From the road, the single-level house - which has off-street parking for two cars at the front - looks modest in size. But the front door opens on to a long, wide central hallway with four spacious bedrooms and the main bathroom, including the laundry, opening off it.
"The house was liveable when we bought it, but it definitely needed work. The old kitchen had safari-green wallpaper. There was carpet up the side of the apricot bath and just about every room had a different coloured feature wall."
Renovations have included widening both sides of the back of the house, installing a new kitchen, adding an en suite and a walk-in wardrobe to what is now the master bedroom and redecorating in a fresh, neutral palette.
Floor-to-ceiling windows and doors have also been added to the main living area at the end of the hallway to create indoor-outdoor flow to the deck and the garden, and allow light into the open-plan living room, dining area and kitchen.
Melanie says the layout is ideal for her two young sons, Ollie, almost 3, and Oscar, nearly 5, because they can play safely on the deck while still in view. The boys also use the free-standing studio in the garden as a playroom, but it would also make an excellent home office or fifth, guest bedroom.
Tucked in behind the studio is a sheltered vegetable patch with raised beds and compact fruit trees.
Melanie says Grey Lynn is a great area for young families and she enjoys the convenience of being close to Great North Rd where her favourite cafe, Charlie Boy's, is just around the corner. "From here it's a quick walk to a good coffee, a loaf of bread and even a bottle of wine.
"The boys also love going to the free swimming pool for kids that is in Grey Lynn Park."
Melanie has decided to downsize and plans to move to a smaller house - also in Grey Lynn.
