While househunting more than three decades ago, Auckland couple Jane and John arrived at 25 Woodside Rd and before they’d even stepped foot inside Jane immediately declared, “This is the one.”
When they went through the front door it didn’t matter that the walls were covered in flowery wallpaper and the carpet was extremely unattractive.
“It just had a lovely feel and I knew this was where I wanted to live,” says Jane.
At the time she was a month away from giving birth to her third son, and she could imagine the 1920s home being a great place to raise the boys. She was right.
Start your property search
>>> Go straight to the listing
“It’s been such a good family home,” Jane says. “It’s not flashy, it’s just very comfortable and it has served us well.”
What it lacks in bling it makes up for with charm, with lots of original period features including beautiful matai floors that were revealed when the carpet was pulled up. “I was very happy to see those,” says Jane.
A lot of the windows are original, including those in the dining room that open up to the garden.
Over the 31 years the family has lived there, the house has proved to be very flexible. When the boys were all at home the formal living and dining room were turned into one large space after a wall between them was knocked down, and used as a playroom, complete with pool and ping pong tables.
Now that the boys have grown up and moved on, this space has reverted to an elegant living room with a woodburning fire where Jane and John spend cosy evenings watching TV.
Another living room at the back of the house tends to get used more during the day, and in summer the stacking glass doors can be pushed back to open up this part of the house to the north-facing back garden.
Transforming the garden from a slightly sloping site into a two tiers of flat lawn was a labour of love for John, says Jane. “It was a huge job, but it was worth it.”
He managed to combine hard landscaping like the low stone walls with a selection of fruit trees, shrubs and colourful planting, while still having plenty of lawn space for the boys to play sport.
“When we put up a pergola for the roses to grow over the boys said, ‘Oh great, rugby goalposts’,” recalls Jane. “We had to re-arrange some of the planting, but it was good to have a garden that was so boy-friendly.”
Previous owners had done the hard work of adding an upper storey, which includes two bedrooms, a bathroom and separate toilet. John and Jane’s room has plenty of storage thanks to a wall of wardrobes, while the guest bedroom has a Juliet balcony overlooking the garden.
There are two more bedrooms downstairs, including a large one converted from a porch many years ago. There’s also another bathroom and toilet downstairs.
The kitchen has plenty of storage and a Corian bench top installed before the couple bought the house. It has stood the test of time and still looks as good as new.
John and Jane are now planning on downsizing so they can spend more time travelling.
Agent Ketiesha Elliott of Barfoot & Thompson says the home, in a great street of heritage homes close to Mt Eden village, really resonated with her. “It’s a true family home with a heart. It’s got a lovely soul, and I think that is a reflection of the owners. It also has a very pretty garden with nice indoor/outdoor flow and really good living spaces. So you’re getting all of that and a really great community too.”
