A developer who paid $5 million for a Tudor-style mansion less than a year ago has relisted it with high expectations.
The four-bedroom trophy home, which sits on 5290sqm at 15 Fern Glen Road South, in Auckland’s St Heliers, has been given a $7.95m price tag after benefiting from a multi-million-dollar renovation.
The vendor, who owns property development company SunMont, was upfront about the expense when he talked to OneRoof about the project.
“We spent a few million dollars on it,” he said.
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“We probably spent more money on it than we should have, to be honest. There are all the top fittings, herringbone wood floors, ducted underfloor heating, and the swimming pool. We put in a lot of attention to detail.”
He said his company usually focuses on new builds, but the 1970s bones of the Fern Glen property caught his eye last year and he decided to have a go.
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“We love properties and we love unique properties. We love transforming them,” he told OneRoof.
“We know the area well and we really wanted to do an older style property, to have a go at transforming it and putting a contemporary twist on it.”
The property, which has a 2021 CV of $9.2m, is being marketed by Barfoot & Thompson agents Paul Neshausen and Veronica Schoonraad as a “trophy masterpiece”.
The transformation extended well beyond the house itself, with the vendor telling OneRoof the finished gardens are now his favourite part of the project.
The sea is now visible thanks to the landscaping and makeover. Photo / Supplied
The kitchen walls were rearranged to make room for a scullery and modern island. The marble-style counters are Dekton. Photo / Supplied
The 5290sqm property, known as Brimaur Estate, is probably the biggest in the area (the house is 366sqm). It neighbours Dingle Dell, so there is bush, even a waterfall and pond, but the Neshausen reckons buyers will be even more thrilled by the chip and putting golf hole. An outdoor exercise and yoga rooms were also installed.
Best of all were the sea views, which were revealed for the first time in a long time after landscaping brought the overgrown grounds back to life. The existing pool and spa pool were also re-skinned and got a new filtration system, while new decks were installed in around the house.
“Seventies Tudor is not an easy period, but that’s the reason we chose it. We wanted a bit of a challenge. We made a brand-new house in an older shell, a huge proportion of it was replaced,” the vendor told OneRoof, adding that the original house was in excellent condition.
The house sits in a private 5290sqm site in one of Auckland's most prestigious suburbs. Photo / Supplied
The makeover also added new double-glazed joinery, insulation, electronics and a brand-new air-conditioning system. Room layouts were tweaked to update the layout, and flooring updated to oak hardwood floors on the living floor and checked Italian tiles in the entry.
The four luxury bathrooms have heated marble, with glamorous tile walls and bronze fixtures and there are top end modern light fittings through the house. As well as the usual living and dining rooms, there’s a library, and a ‘gentleman’s lounge’. The enormous master bedroom has his and hers walk-in wardrobes, and there’s garaging for six cars in a garage and carport.
The vendor told OneRoof he had spent a “few hundred grand” on the kitchen fit-out, which boasted Miele appliances and Dekton marble benches, along with a scullery. “It’s probably one of the most expensive I’ve ever done,” he said.
Neshausen said the results were impressive. “There were no shortcuts, I really like it. There are so many unique features and those grounds where they discovered things like rock gardens and ponds. It’s now so manicured and you can see that view.”
He added that the new pricing for the property showed the vendors were serious about selling.
The original stairwell. Photo / Supplied
The renovation retained some character features, but updated with all new wood floors, lighting, insulation and double-glazing. Photo / Supplied
Neshausen and Schoonraad are marketing another SunMont property, a luxurious new-build at 46 Tarawera Terrace, which they’re calling “Auckland’s newest mansion”.
The 695sqm five-bedroom cedar home on a landscaped 1741sqm section includes six bathrooms, 10-car garaging, a lift and ducted aircon. Luxury details include a gaming room, yoga room, gentlemen’s lounge, a dry cleaning unit in the laundry and a panic space in the master bedroom. The heated 14m pool includes a spa and there’s even a dedicated children’s playground.
- 15 Fern Glen Road South, in St Heliers, Auckland, is for sale for $7.95m
