A high-profile Auckland mansion that’s been completely wrapped in white plastic sheeting for the last three years has thrown off its covers.
The sheathed Victorian house on 83 St Marys Road, in St Marys Bay, a familiar site to drivers heading into the city from the Harbour Bridge, has been revealed as a spectacular three-storey mansion abutting a striking modern steel and glass box.
The house, with swimming pool, garaging for five cars and staff quarters, is expected to sell for more than $20 million.
The listing agent, Graham Wall, of Wall Real Estate, told OneRoof: “This is 1000sqm of house and everything is brand-new. Apartments in St Marys Bay are asking $35,000 per sqm, and while I’m not saying this is asking for $35m, everything about the house is impeccable.
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“We don't know where the price is going to end up; the house is unique.”
Wall, who has sold this year’s most expensive home, said the over nine-metre-high glass and steel box that houses the kitchen, family room and a mezzanine party room “is the best room in Auckland city”, offering views of Westhaven Marina, the bridge and Rangitoto.
The vendor bought the property for $3m at the same time as acquiring the two properties next door – a derelict cottage at 89 St Marys Road and an empty wedge of land at 85 London Street.
Both those properties, which had been on the market for nearly three years, sold separately in October.
Ray White Remuera Richard Thode, who had the listing for the London Street property, said that the buyer was looking to develop the site. Thode would not disclose the sale price but indicated that it had fetched more than $3m.
The mansion had been sheathed in white plastic for three years. In the foreground is a derelict cottage which was sold in October. Photo / Supplied
The listing agents for 89 St Marys Road, Matty and Shawn Ma of Mars Realty, would not reveal the sale price or the buyer’s details, but property had a 2017 CV of $3.7m.
The restoration and rebuild of the main villa at 83 St Marys Road has been an all-encompassing project for the owner, Wall said. The original villa now houses multiple reception rooms, an office and bedrooms on the ground floor, while a new second floor features an enormous principal suite (even the bathroom and walk-in wardrobe have marina views) and more ensuited bedrooms.
As well as garaging, utility rooms and staff quarters, the lower ground floor houses more bedrooms, living room and kitchen that open out to the terraces and 15-metre pool. While Wall showed visitors through, workmen were putting the finishing touches to garden planting and programming the automatic gates and security.
The mansion offers clear views of the harbour and the harbour bridge. Photo / Supplied
The spectacular glass box attached to the Victorian villa offers even more spectacular views. Photo / Supplied
Remnants of the original villa remain. Ornate pressed tin ceilings, mouldings and corbels that line the four-metre tall hallway and ground floor reception rooms were removed, repaired or replicated and replaced. Only one original fireplace remains (the rest are modern gas fittings) and some decorative stained glass in the principal reception rooms, but the sash windows and over-height French doors were reproduced in modern double glazed hush glass, and floors replaced throughout with oak.
“This house is as high-tech as can be,” Wall said, with entire heating, lighting, security and entertainment systems, even the rotating platform on the five-car garage, controlled by phone.
The listing agent says everything about the house is "impeccable". Photo / Supplied
He said he was already showing buyers through the mega mansion, positioning the house as a blank canvas.
Wall and his son Ollie have already made two record-equalling sales this year in nearby Herne Bay when their sellers of a waterfront property on Argyle Street that sold for $22m paid $23.5m for another waterfront home on Marine Parade in a shuffle with two other properties that had a total price tag of $63.5m.
According to OneRoof figures, St Marys Bay’s average property value is now the city’s second highest, after Herne Bay, up 29% on a year ago to $3.27m. The suburb’s top settled sale price this year is $9.89m for development land on Shelly Beach Road.
