When Gillian and Craig Stobo first eyed what would be their home for 27 years it was dark and empty with dramatic red carpet up the stairs.
“The front room had nothing at all,” recalls Gillian of 77 Shelley Beach Road in St Marys Bay, Auckland City.
“We called it the ballroom for years.”
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The house, being sold by negotiation, is much lighter and brighter these days though still retains its original character and personality.
The couple had been flatting around the corner and Gillian was pregnant with their first child when they bought.
There were only two or three homes for sale in St Marys Bay at the time and they only had two criteria; their home must be close to town and have a view.
This house was spot on. It has such great harbour views, in fact, that Gillian used to give Harbour Bridge traffic reports to her friends just by looking out the window.
The view also takes in Rangitoto, Westhaven Marina and the Sky Tower, and the city is only a 15 minute walk away plus the Ponsonby shops and restaurants are up the road.
“It’s fantastic for fireworks and you can see the America’s Cup coming in because you can see down to Wynyard,” says Gillian.
Built around 1913, she describes the house as Georgian in style and says it’s spacious without feeling cavernous.
She is not certain of the history but says the name McVeagh is graffittied into the old fireplace, and she knows there were some pretty awesome gatherings held here when two doctors owned the property.
“That would have been in the seventies or eighties because one of the mums (at Ponsonby primary school around the corner) said to me ‘oh, I used to go to great parties at your house.’”
Gillian and Craig raised three children in the house and while there have been changes they haven’t “mucked up the interior” unlike some of the other older homes in the area which have undergone major transformations over the years.
But they did have to do something about the tiny galley kitchen: “When we moved in it was so narrow and my sister and I were both pregnant and we couldn’t get past each other.”
They opened the area up by taking out walls and extending the dining area and now you could easily fit several pregnant ladies in the kitchen.
The two level house has a big basement underneath, two sets of bifold doors out to the elevated deck from the downstairs living area and a manicured and landscaped courtyard.
The four bedrooms are upstairs and the master has an en suite and a walk in wardrobe, plus there is another lounge upstairs with French doors to the balcony and views of the harbour.
Real estate agent Felicity Scott, from Barfoot & Thompson Ponsonby, says this is an iconic home in a great area with extra height ceilings that support a wonderful feeling of space and grandeur.
“The views from upstairs are exceptional and being so close to the city and waterfront is what makes this neighbourhood so special and highly sought after.
“The other two benefits this home has in St Marys Bay is the land size and garaging – two features that are incredibly difficult to secure in the area.”
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