House goes a fair way towards family bliss

By Gordon Brown

Almost exactly a quarter of a century after they bought the house of their dreams in Carlton Terrace, Royce and Anne are now reluctantly offering it for sale.

"We moved in on December 1, 1990, and we're only selling because we decided it was time we had to downsize,'' says Royce.

"We thought about it long and hard because we really love the house, especially the living space, but there's stairs to the basement and the section has quite a few trees on it, which, as the old story goes, trees just keep growing,'' says Royce with a laugh.

Both Royce and Anne are of mature years and the lure of a low-maintenance existence at a retirement village has its obvious attractions. This is a couple who have a great work ethic and that means the house and section are in immaculate condition.

"We've really enjoyed it here; it's a real home, not a house, or just somewhere to live,'' says Royce with some feeling.

"We've loved the open-plan living, and there's a ton of light everywhere.'' He's right, too, no matter which room you're in, there are large windows perfectly placed to ensure the maximum sunshine and light enters the house. This was not a house designed by accident.

Built in the 1970s by a builder for him and his family to live in, Royce and Anne bought it from his widow. "It's a great area to live in. In fact, it used to be the old Westown Golf Course,'' points out Royce.

Looking out of the large lounge windows, it's easy to see where the undulating fairways have been transformed into a well-planned subdivision . Number 18 Carlton Terrace is about three-quarters of the way up on the right hand side of a gently-sloping street. From their elevated section, Anne and Royce enjoy great views and complete privacy.

There are so many features that set this house apart from many others built in that era.

The lounge opens up into a spacious conservatory, which could easily seat four to six people, so it's no small add-on for retired folk; it's an important feature of the house and both Royce and Anne spend a lot of time there.

"In fact, we spend the majority of our time there; it's easy to watch the world go by,'' says Royce.

They can just as easily sit out there and watch the big-screen TV they have in the lounge.

It's really warm in the winter, and when it's a sunny day it's really warm and comfortable, but you can open the large window and get some lovely breezes.

There's gas heating and this three-bedroom brick house looks a treat from the outside and even better from the inside.

Anne says this is a house that would be ideal for families. Although their children had already left home when Royce and Anne bought it, their grandchildren have often stayed over and with the large mature section surrounding the house, the options for playing in a safe, fenced environment are limitless.

Whether it's playing inside and taking advantage of the large living spaces, or climbing the trees outside, families will love bringing up a family at 18 Carlton Terrace.

The brick construction and the aluminium joinery mean it's low maintenance, and there are stressed-concrete panel floors, right through the whole house, including the basement ceiling.

The open-plan lounge and dining rooms are neatly complemented by the modernised kitchen. There are some nice touches, with clever use of panels disguising the presence of such mundane appliances as fridges, freezers and dishwashers.

The house has plenty of storage, and large pantries; yes, there's more than one, and one of them is a large walk-in pantry.

A separate laundry room again adds to that feeling of spaciousness, while the stand-alone toilet and bathroom have also been modernised, with a large shower unit put in by Anne and Royce.

There are three generous-sized bedrooms and in the basement is a spacious garage and workshop, There is internal access, so you can take the groceries out of the car without getting wet.

There's room for cricket on the back lawn and a number of features displaying a variety of flowers and shrubs mean there's little work to be done; it's all been done.

Concrete driveways and a second toilet in the basement confirm the amount of thought that went into the design of the house.

The first family to see this house will probably be the ones to buy it!

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

Negotiating Range $370,000 - $420,000