Having moved from Wellington to Auckland in the late 1980s, retired lawyer Bill Thurston and his wife Margaret initially lived in Remuera’s popular Upland Rd, but they found it a little too noisy and decided to look for something quieter.
This took them to what was then a newly built residence in nearby Benson Rd, set back from the street, down a shared driveway, and utterly private and secluded.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THIS LISTING HERE
It was exactly what they wanted. Bill and Margaret were happy in their new dwelling for a number of years, until a surprisingly small, but nonetheless shocking, indication of dampness in the kitchen around 2000, led to the discovery that they’d bought a leaky home.
Start your property search
“It was devastating, but we faced up to it,” says Bill. ”It was a long process, and our house underwent the absolute Rolls-Royce of remediation and re-cladding before it got the all-clear.
WANT TO MOVE TO REMUERA? FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE SUBURB HERE
“The good news is that 18 years later, the place is better than ever and we haven’t had a single hint of worry since,” he says. “It’s truly as dry as a bone.”
On the downstairs level is a large kitchen with a generous layout that offers loads of potential for an update.
Around it are the casual living area with sunny built-in window seats and the open plan dining area, which is spacious and sunny.
“We’ve had lots of fabulous occasions here, but one really stands out,” says Margaret.
‘It was a business dinner and we had it commercially catered. With simple, professional tweaking in terms of space, and the temporary removal of some furniture, we had 32 people seated here. It was a huge success.”
Also on this lower level is a powder room, separate laundry, a home office, which could be used as a fifth bedroom and the sunken formal lounge, which has a gas fireplace and plenty of room for relaxation.
On the next floor, via stairs and an expansive atrium, this north-facing property boasts four bedrooms, including the master suite with wardrobe, en suite and a balcony, from which Bill and Margaret have sweeping views of the city.
“We’re lucky because somebody in front of us recently took down a huge oak tree and the view is now much clearer,” says Bill.
Of the three other bedrooms — two of which are large doubles — Bill and Margaret say the last one stands out.
“The original builder was the father of a ballerina, and he included the most enormous space for her to practise in,” says Margaret.
She isn’t joking when she says this. The room is indeed huge and it has loads of storage space, too, with cupboards along the sides of the walls.
“Bill and I think it could be used for yoga, music or Pilates groups, or for a work-from-home business.
“The possibilities are certainly there if you have a good imagination.”
There’s also a lovely, bright family bathroom on this level, with a tiled bath.
As a bonus to prospective buyers, Margaret is a keen gardener and she’s made her mark on the neat and compact section.
“It’s lovely and green, but it doesn’t need intensive care,” she says.
Bill and Margaret are contemplating moving for reasons that are common amongst their age group.
“Basically, we no longer need this much space.” says Bill.
“We did think about doing a renovation but we’ve decided that the new owners will have their own style and tastes so we’ll leave that to them. There’s a lot of potential here.”
110A BENSON RD, REMUERA, AUCKLAND
