The outgoing CEO of Chorus has put his multi-million-dollar Auckland home on the market for sale ahead of his return to Australia.
JB Rousselot and his wife Susan bought the five-bedroom property on Queen Street, in Northcote Point, in 2019 for $2.5 million when JB joined the telecom giant.
The couple had been looking for something that reminded them of their time in Sydney, where JB was a senior exec at Telstra and NBN.
Cast glass artist Susan told OneRoof: “We wanted three things; to be waterfront, to live within 10 minutes’ drive from the city, and to buy somewhere we considered good value for money.”
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After looking at hundreds of properties online they were excited by 36 Queen Street, buying it during a flying visit to Auckland.
“We’ve got water views from all three levels and from so many of the rooms, and we liked the fact there was a charming village nearby with a nice sense of community.”
They can take stairs down from the end of their 833sqm property to swim or kayak within a couple of minutes, confident in the knowledge they invested in cyclone-proof soil anchors down the cliff.
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JB stepped down from his role at Chorus in April and the couple have decided to return to Sydney to be closer to family. They are taking the property to auction on June 16, and it'll be much improved due to their ownership.
Susan had a renovation business in Sydney but nothing she did there was as extensive and transformative as the refurbishment she did at 36 Queen Street.
The circa 1890 character home was configured as two dwellings when the couple bought it and wasn’t maximising the west-facing sea view.
Stairs at the end of the 833sqm property lead to the beach below.
The Rousselots reconfigured the house from two dwellings to a three-level 212sqm family home.
“Lots of rather scrubby trees had grown up to block the view, so we had those removed,” Susan told OneRoof.
She replaced a tiny clifftop viewing deck with a significant one that revels in the view. JB said: “I’m a bit of a salty dog who loves the sea, so this is my favourite place.”
The renovation was completed in three stages, and cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. The project included returning the home to one dwelling, extending its mid-floor footprint to create open-plan living with a gorgeous new kitchen and a bathroom. Ripping up carpets revealed beautiful kauri floorboards.
The Rousselots chose one of the lower floor’s two generous bedrooms opening to the garden as their master but previous owners had theirs on the upper floor. A bathroom, a study, 200-bottle wine cellar and storage space complete this level.
The open-plan dining-kitchen-family room opens wide to a sea-gazing veranda.
JB Rousselot is heading back to Sydney. He stood down as Chorus CEO in April. Photo / Michael Craig
It flows out to a wide deck only a couple of steps above ground level, thanks to the contour of the land. Susan’s picturesque separate art studio, which could be an office, looks over the rear lawn to the sea.
Listing agent Julie Shand, from Harcourts, said: “It’s rare to be able to walk down to the water’s edge from your own property, as you can do here. This beautifully renovated home will be great for families, enjoying good separation.”
- 36 Queen Street in Northcote Point, Auckland, goes to auction on June 16
