BEACH ST LOCATION HAS SERIOUS APPEAL

You know a property is appealing when a family has enjoyed its environment for more than 40 years. And given its Beach St, Fitzroy address, it's not surprising that this home has proved to be that appealing.

It's been a retirement home and then a holiday home and worked very well in each case, according to present owners John and Marion.

"When Mum and Dad left the farm at Bell Block in the early 70s, they built this home," Marion explains. "When Mum died in 2009, we bought it off the estate and altered it for our own use as a holiday home."

The house was built as the front one of four on the original section of 1327sqm, with a cross-lease arrangement to provide it a quarter share of the land.

Location so close to Fitzroy Beach has been the key to life here for both generations. It's just a stroll down the hill to the sand and sea, and a similar stroll back along Beach St to the Fitzroy shops.

John's appreciated more recent attractions in this close-to-the-coast setting after 35 years of farming in the Waikato. "It's so close to the Walkway and The Valley," he points out. "And coming from a farming area where it's very quiet and you see no-one all day, it's a total change."

The popularity of Fitzroy Beach makes Beach St a lively location, he says, with regular foot traffic as swimmers and surfers make their way down to the water.

The home here at 1/12 Beach St still maintains a pleasing level of privacy, however. Marion notes the advantage of its slight elevation above the road. "It's great being a bit higher. People walk past on the footpath and you only see the tops of their heads."

Elevation gives residents here an element of separation and privacy, but they still feel part of the life happening around them. It even adds to the view, with a pleasing view shaft from Marion's corner seat in the lounge.

"This is a prime seat, just here," she says, with a smile, enjoying the position. "I love looking at the sea and the windsurfers. And ships sit out there in the stream, waiting for a berth at the port. See, there's a ship out there now."

John admits the chair enjoys a premier placement. "That's the command chair," he quips.

The right-of-way drives each side of the house mean there are no neighbours immediately on the boundary, he adds. That adds an extra sense of space around the house. "We are not hemmed in, that's for sure."

John and Marion have enhanced this home since buying it, giving it a fresh, contemporary feel.

They changed the frontage, removing an original modest conservatory and extending the lounge out into the resulting space. That's made the lounge a distinctly generous living area to complement the open-plan dining and kitchen spaces.

"We've had plenty of big family gatherings in here," Marion says.

They made provision for wheelchair access, adding ramps to front and side entries, and widening interior doorways. Comfort was enhanced with the fitting of double-glazed windows throughout, and installing a heat pump and Infinity gas water heating.

Refurbishment did not stop there.

The kitchen was renewed at the same time, the new design giving Marion good bench space, plenty of cupboard capacity and ease of use. She demonstrates the latter feature by opening the corner pantry's bifold doors. Inside is rotary shelving that means anything is accessible just by spinning the shelves until the desired item rotates to the front. Cupboards and drawers also have soft-closing action.

The hallway off the kitchen leads to the internal access to the single garage, two good-sized bedrooms with double wardrobes, the bathroom and a separate laundry. The spacious bathroom has also been refreshed, and now boasts a wet-area shower, and easy-clean laminate walls.

EXPRESSIONS of INTEREST Buyers from $575,000 to view