Privacy, Peace and Valley Views

By Mike Shaw

This right-of-way property at 288e Mangorei Rd offered its owners almost everything they wanted in their next home when they first saw it a couple of years ago.

It had the Merrilands location they were looking for, privacy and quiet surroundings away from the road, a low-maintenance brick home, space and comfort inside and extra garaging outside. It came up short in just one aspect - the grounds were larger than they thought they wanted.

So they walked away from the open home to find the property that ticked every box. They couldn't.

Some weeks later, their thoughts returned to the Mangorei Rd home and they reconsidered the option of living here. They realised that the quarter-acre-plus grounds could be easily refined to leave little work other than mowing lawns ... and they promptly bought the property.

A walk around the home now shows just how well that has worked out for them. There is enough garden to give life here a pleasing green frame without keeping them busy looking after the grounds every weekend. "It's not a garden that you have to tinker in or do a lot of weeding," says one of this home's owners.

The home sits at the edge of the valley looking across to Karina Rd ... there's no sense of being closed in at all. A lower lawn is a peaceful setting to sit and relax with a little refreshment and enjoy the valley outlook.

You can do that inside the home as well, with windows in the split-level lounge and above in the master bedroom framing their own version of this view.

"We can sit here in the morning and enjoy the views ... and not really want to get up and go to work," the owner says with a smile. "It's hard to find this sort of privacy in the city ... and it's a very easy house to live in."

The house was designed in the early 1980s by former New Plymouth architect George Richards and is set at the end of the right-of-way so there are no neighbours driving past. The drive turns into the property to reveal the appealing presentation of cream brick walls, terracotta-coloured concrete tiles on the steeply pitched roof, and the complementary design of house and double garage linked by a brick archway.

A wrought-iron gate in that archway lets you through to the front door and the foyer entry to the home. The hallway to the left of the foyer leads to three bedrooms, the family bathroom and separate laundry; the living areas are to the right, and the master bedroom suite is upstairs.

The house was a change of style for its present owners. "We've always had character homes," one of them explains. "Our kids were surprised. They said it wasn't what they expected us to buy ... but they could see why we liked it."

The architectural detailing is part of the reason - revealed in the living areas with a central exposed-brick chimney separating the kitchen-dining area from the step-down lounge, and the warmth overhead of raked timber ceilings.

The texture of the bricks and timber adds a sense of character to an otherwise contemporary home.

There's an easy flow from the kitchen to the adjacent dining area and the lounge those few steps below has French doors opening on to a sheltered and sunny paved courtyard with a feature brick fireplace or barbecue. It's easy to picture friends and family sitting out here enjoying alfresco dining on balmy summer evenings.

Up the stairs, the master bedroom proves to be a pleasing space with windows drawing in all-day sun and those expansive views. There's extra space up here for a couple of chairs or a settee - a parental retreat from a busy family life below. The walk-in wardrobe and ensuite are both generously sized.

Many prospective buyers would nod approvingly at the double garaging on arrival - and then open their eyes further in surprise as the rear door rolls up to reveal another garage-workshop built behind.

"When I saw it had three-car garaging, I rubbed my hands together," our owner recalls. "It wasn't just a workshop."

That roller door at the back of the main double garage allows drive-through access to the bonus garaging behind.

And there's more. Stairs at the back of the main garage lead up to attic space above which could be a hobby room for adults or a rumpus area for children.

With its seclusion from the street, this is a home that needs a visit to realise everything it offers.

Please phone Dianne on 0800 434 872 for your personal appointment to view.

Negotiation Range: $490,000 - $530,000