- The 1930s home at 44 Garland Road, Greenlane, is fire-damaged and set for demolition.
- Bayleys agent Carolyn Ryan says it offers a “blank canvas” for creating a dream home.
- The property has an RV of $1.7m but is expected to sell for less.
“Oh dear.” These were the first words Bayleys agent Carolyn Ryan uttered when she saw 44 Garland Road, in Auckland’s Greenlane.
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The 1930s home was a standout listing for all the wrong reasons. It is surrounded by security fencing and visibly bears the scars of a devastating fire.
The duplex shares a wall with an architectural stunner next door - and a quick look at Ryan’s listing photos on OneRoof shows just how odd a pairing the two are.
The house next door isn’t for sale but 44 Garland Road is.
Ryan told OneRoof a new owner would need to demolish the house and start from scratch. “It’s a 1960s duplex unit, but it’s been fire-damaged. A structural assessment concludes that it should be demolished,” she said.
The property sits on a near-500sqm triangular site and shares a wall with a luxury home next door. Photo / Supplied
“That does pave the way for the next owner to create and design their dream home from the ground up. It is a blank canvas.”
The property, which sits on a 498sqm triangular site has an RV of $1.7 million but, according to Ryan’s listing, it is expected to sell for less.
Ryan said the craftsmanship of the house next door might help potential buyers see beyond the wreckage.
“[The buyers of 44 Garland] could take inspiration from the stunning home next door. There are actually two houses on the site next door, and the owners have utilised the existing duplex and then built their own home beside it.
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“The main house looks like a cathedral, with its vaulted ceilings and these beautiful glass windows, which take in the northerly aspect.”
Ryan said the juxtaposition of the two homes reminded her of primary school butterfly paintings, where children paint one half of the butterfly and then fold their paper to complete the artwork on the other side. The analogy suggests that the property she is marketing, like the butterfly, has the potential to turn into something beautiful.
“Once you take your eyes off the site and look around you find so many beautiful homes in that location on the neighbouring streets.”
The property is surrounded by expensive and beautiful homes. Photo / Supplied
She added: “I’m pretty sure everyone will be watching to see what happens. They’ll be relieved to see the fire-damaged house go.”
Because the site is dangerous, access to the property is not permitted. As such there are no open homes and the property is being sold “as is”.
“You can only see what you can see from the road. You can’t go into the house itself.”
The owner of the property next door, Colliers senior project manager Bruce Ramsay, said it had been challenging redeveloping his site because of the duplex, but it wasn’t impossible.
“As an architect, it was a challenging site due to the planning constraints on the design of the new house plus retaining the existing as a [rental]. We worked closely with our planner to maximise all aspects with the planning guidelines for the site.”
Ramsay told OneRoof he had been interested in buying 44 Garland Road but the timing was not right.
“I believe I have the key to unlocking the potential of 44 Garland. I would be interested in a joint venture with a developer.”
- 44 Garland Road, Greenlane, Auckland, is for sale, deadline closing April 10
