Jimmy Chand always loved Karaka, and when this property on its private, elevated section came to the market, it was love at first sight.
“It was just what we wanted for our forever family home. The moment I saw it I knew it was meant to be. We saw it on a Sunday and on Friday it was mine. Two Fridays later we moved in.”
53 Urquhart Road in Karaka, Franklin, is on the market to be sold at auction on November 30. The five-bedroom, five-bathroom house with a 25-metre long indoor heated swimming pool has an RV of $3 million and, according to OneRoof data, last changed hands in August 2020 for $2.7m.
Extended and updated over the years, the main home and its separate self-contained dwelling are set on 3.42 hectares with beautiful views overlooking surrounding farms.
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Listing agent Scott McElhinney, of Barfoot & Thompson Pukekohe, totally understands Jimmy’s desire to live in Karaka.
“A lot of people are looking for a country escape but with close proximity to schools, airport, the motorways and the city,” he says.
The house enjoys excellent privacy at the end of its long, magnolia-lined driveway and sits amid formal gardens and lawns against a backdrop of lush paddocks and trees. A productive orchard provides unusual fruit trees including hachiya persimmons, white sapote and green-skinned feijoa, as well as macadamia, citrus and figs.
The 600sqm home on Urquhart Road has vaulted ceilings, skylights and many sliding doors enabling a light, open-plan living space with kitchen, dining and lounge. Photo / Supplied
Inside the 600sqm home, vaulted ceilings, skylights and many sliding doors enable a light, open-plan living space with kitchen, dining, family living area and lounge.
The focal point is the superb designer kitchen and bar with its engineered stone benchtops, integrated fridge and dishwasher, Bosch appliances, induction cooking and butler’s pantry.
These cleverly blended, contemporary spaces make for a house that’s ideal for sophisticated entertaining, while allowing facilities for family life to remain top of mind. There are wraparound decks and ample outdoor entertaining spaces accessed from the living areas. Doors from the family living zone open into a 25m x 3.5m indoor heated pool adjoining a gym area and 17m flying fox.
There’s a second large lounge, home office and another bathroom adjoining the pool area. “And yes,” Jimmy says, “we use the pool all the time.”
Doors from the family living zone open into a 25m x 3.5m indoor heated pool adjoining a gym area and 17m flying fox. Photo / Supplied
The property has a main home, a self-contained one-bedroom unit, 110sqm shed for kids’ and adults’ toys, a bunker/wine cellar, six paddocks and bore water supply. Photo / Supplied
A custom-built kids’ playground which he bought from a school has been tweaked to suit the family’s needs.
“It has a boat because we wanted the kids to love boating and the water. It’s all sited so we can see if from the house. And we did need a playground, because it’s not like there’s one just down the road.”
Sleeping accommodation includes the master with a walk-in wardrobe and double shower ensuite. There are four further bedrooms with built-in wardrobes and outdoor access that share a family bathroom, well-appointed with dual vanities, bath and separate shower.
A separately located, consented and self-contained one-bedroom unit with a private deck is available for extended family and guests accommodation. A 110sqm shed offers storage for kids’ and adults’ toys, there’s a bunker/wine cellar, six paddocks, bore water supply, and excellent schools in the area.
And for those who want to get the bus to school, as Jimmy’s daughter did, there’s a custom-built, legitimate bus shelter that he had built right at the gate.
