For Peter and Pat Herbert, a life well lived in their “garden apartment” is about enjoying their home and garden without a blade of grass to tend to.
When they downsized from their four-bedroom, double-storey Kohimarama house a year ago, Peter waved goodbye to his lawnmower.
Here at 1/15 Benbow St in St Heliers there’s extra space in his generous garage workshop even without a lawnmower and that’s a positive for this handy man engineer, who runs his own machine tool manufacturing business.
“There’s an extensive workbench and plenty of cupboard storage which is very handy when gardening and there’s a TV in the garage too,” Peter says.
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This man cave is high on Peter’s list of favourite features about this single-level, ground floor apartment that is one of three in this bespoke, 1980s freehold development.
Their surrounding garden with its citrus, bottlebrush, camellias and climbing roses is theirs alone and it’s another favourite.
“It’s pretty low maintenance,” he says. “You don’t have to be at it all the time.”
For this couple, aged in their mid-70s, this three-bedroom, 215sqm brick-clad apartment combines the solidity, scale and decorative form of a traditional home with the convenience of modern apartment living.
They agree that it’s not what most seniors associate with the apartment lifestyle option.
“Being stuck in a mid-level apartment because you can’t do anything, and in a place that looks like a hotel would be terrible,” Peter says.
“We love the character here. It is tastefully done with modern paint colours and it’s warm and comfortable, with all-day sun.
“We have all of these outdoor areas to entertain in and somewhere to go if you want to read a book or do whatever you feel like doing. Our neighbourhood is nice. We’re all living independent lives and we’re five minutes away from the beach and the restaurants.”
They are reminded of their “best of both worlds” good fortune as they swing into their separate driveway, past the roadside gardens tended by the body corporate, and through their security gates to their garage.
Upstairs, their apartment living/dining areas open to wrap-round tiled decks. Their front lounge courtyard has planter box hedging that adds a private sense of enclosure.
Steps off the deck by the dining room lead down to a ground level patio beside the full-length garden.
One of their three generous bedrooms is used as a study. The large family bathroom that is one of two bathrooms has a double shower and bath.
“Buyers with the vision to purchase at a price considerably below the cost of future apartment new-builds will savour the lifestyle and benefits of this location and position,” says David Nightingale of Bayleys, who is marketing the property.
Ahead of Peter’s retirement, their reluctance to sell here is tempered by the family returning from the United Kingdom.
“The apartment is logical but family is everything and we need that fourth bedroom again,” says Peter.
This time, they’ve found it in St Heliers, once again in their favourite part of Auckland, the Eastern Suburbs.
1/15 Benbow St, St Heliers has an asking price of $3.269 million. The 2021 calendar year body corporate fee is $2628.41.
