The founding editor of the New Zealand Herald’s property magazine Herald Homes is quitting inner-city Auckland and selling her stylish bungalow.
Estelle Sarney, who edited the precursor to OneRoof from 2005 to 2010, said the four-bedroom property at 38 Mount Albert Road, in Mount Albert, was more like a resort than a traditional home.
Sarney came across the home 14 years ago. It was one of the many hundreds of homes that featured in her listings magazine.
Both she and her husband had been looking for a home to suit their growing children.
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Their eldest was just about to start high school, they wanted somewhere close to Mt Albert Grammar School, with great sun and generous grounds that would suit the golden retriever they’d just got.
“We’d barely started looking but saw this, thought ‘oh, this is it’ and put in a pre-auction offer. It ticked all our boxes,” she told OneRoof.
“It was a short walk to MAGS [Mount Albert Grammar]. It had all the space we needed inside, including a beautiful living area with elevated north-facing views across the trees to Mt Eden, flowing out to a substantial rear deck.
“Its peaceful 1171sqm grounds were fully fenced for our dog. The inground swimming pool was a bonus.”
As well as being in zone for one of Auckland’s top schools, the property is within Mt Albert’s sought-after Golden Triangle. Mt Albert Domain, an off-leash dog park, can be reached just across the road.
A level front lawn introduces the 1930s single-level weatherboard home and polished matai gleams in the floor of the hallway and some of the bedrooms, three of which have large built-in wardrobes.
The property ticked all off the owner's boxes. Photo / Supplied
The spacious rear living room with north-facing view and cosy gas fire retains character with its beamed ceiling and built-in bookcases.
Sarney said of the kitchen-dining room with walk-in pantry: “Grant loves cooking here”.
The lounge flows out to the covered part of the expansive deck, where Estelle often sits with cup of tea or wine in hand, taking in the view.
“I tell people this is the best seat in the house,” Sarney said. “It’s like living in a very private park here, with the big trees and all the space.
“The volcanic soil has produced amazing crops of vegies and fruit from our variety of fruit trees. We’ve run out of new recipes for the hundreds of avocados we get from our tree.
“We’ve made the gardens as easy care as possible as our lifestyle now includes frequent travel.”
The rear living room is full of character touches. Photo / Supplied
The side double garage has mezzanine storage bolstered by under-house storage. It’s served as a teen hangout and then Bradley’s woodworking workshop, seeing there’s four-car open-air parking.
A landscaper helped them update the pool area and the rear grounds incorporate a built-in pizza oven, garden shed, glasshouse and raised vegetable beds culminate in a picturesque garden studio-hobby room.
“We’ve had fantastic Easter egg hunts here for our young nieces and nephews,” Sarney said.
Now empty-nesters, the couple is moving north of the city to be closer to the beach.
Their listing agent, Ray White’s Anne Duncan, said: “This property is somewhat of a surprise package as you don’t know what you’re getting until you walk in the front door.
“From there you can see right through the house and over the resort-like grounds, taking in a north-facing view towards the city.”
- 38 Mount Albert Road, in Mount Albert, Auckland, goes to auction on May 1
