When John Wainhouse and his late wife Sonia found a lovely piece of land in Chatswood, on the edge of Birkenhead, they had no doubt they could build their dream house there.
They had a 46-year history with Chatswood and family members living in the North Shore suburb, so they were ready to put their heart and soul into the project.
“It was such a lovely section we couldn’t help but put a big house on it,” says John, explaining why the size of the building exceeds 850 square metres. “What was on the wishlist? Everything!” he says.
“We wanted big living areas upstairs and down, a rumpus room, a spa room, a barbecue area ... and it all just progressed from there.”
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Built in the 1990s, the dream home at 105 Onetaunga Road, Chatswood, has the look of a classic European villa, sturdily built of masonry with terracotta tile roof. It has 5 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms and 5 garages.
John describes it as ‘substantial construction, as solid as can be’.
Add to that the attractions of stylish exterior paving, masonry garden walls and a big, shapely pool given a distinctly tropical appeal by mature palms.
John’s vision of seriously large living areas which would enable easy socialising with friends and family evolved into an expansive living area on the second level, accessed by a staircase with a mobility rail.
It encompasses a big kitchen with a tiled floor, copious cupboards, modern appliances and plenty of bench space, an adjoining dining area and a living room with a fireplace. There’s a TV room and a breakfast room on one side of this area, and a broad terrace on the other.
On the ground floor is the living space – an entertaining room comprising a very large living area with a fireplace and furnished with a dining setting, lounge seating, fully equipped bar and a pool table.
It’s perfect for socialising with a glass of wine from the wine cellar or having a friendly – or competitive – game of pool. John admits he is not the family champion at the pool table, which will be staying with the house.
Also on this level is a self-contained area for guests or extended family with its own kitchen, sitting area and bathroom, plus an additional powder room, laundry, spa room and office.
Although John and his wife Christina are looking forward to downsizing to an apartment in Milford, there is plenty here to miss.
“Right now we are sitting upstairs and it’s incredibly peaceful, apart from the birdsong,” she says. This is one of her favourite areas, along with the spa pool downstairs.
John likes the fact that the property always feels secure with full fencing and electric gates, and points out that having an office space on ground level, away from the family living areas, is a bonus.
And then there’s the garaging. “There’s garaging here for five cars, and outside garaging for another five, or boats or whatever,” he says. “I love that.”
The property is being sold by Peter Jones of Harcourts.
