Life on the outskirts of Waitara has been so good for Tony and Frances that they are building and retiring for the second time on the same piece of land. The couple has subdivided off a portion of their generous property at 4 Iwanui Close, off Princess St, to build a new, more compact retirement home next door. That must be an assurance for new owners of their old home that this setting is something special.
Tony and Frances certainly thought so 53 years ago, when they moved their young family out here from a new house they had just built in New Plymouth. “I wanted a bit of land to play with,” Tony explains. They had looked at several properties in New Plymouth, without success, when their agent asked them, “You wouldn’t be interested in Waitara, would you?” “Yes!” was their answer, and they were brought out here to Princess St, to an old villa standing on 1.5 hectares with a stream running through the property. “We bought it on the spot,” Tony says. They loved life here so much that, five years later, they bought the adjoining two hectares with a two-bay villa. It was here that Frances established her successful Q Gardens vegetable business.
Twenty years on, their first retirement beckoned and they sold the gardens, building this house in the back paddock of the property - and then sharing their beloved setting with others. Tony’s experience with subdivision as a council engineer was invaluable in creating residential sections from the former horticultural land.
The home they built in 2008 sits quietly down its driveway today, enjoying its seclusion from street activity. The two-storey home is framed and sheltered by trees that they planted years ago and which are now well-established. Tony points out the mature natives of puriri, kowhai and miro, as well as fruitful avocado, walnut, tamarillo, and citrus.
Tony planned the 190sqm home’s design himself to give the couple the spacious home they wanted when children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren came back to visit. “We’ve had 20 here for Christmas dinner,” Tony recalls.
Prospective buyers should appreciate the home’s four bedrooms - two with ensuites, separate office, open sunny living areas, and an easy flow to a large concrete terrace with an outlook of established greenery next door. There’s internal-access garaging, and parking for extra cars or a motorhome around the house.
Inside, the home’s spaces will appeal to family needs, starting with the generous foyer welcome and the door out the other side that accesses a north-facing covered porch. Frances says it is a great spot to sit outside in the winter sun. The living areas, family bathroom, and three double bedrooms are downstairs - including the master bedroom and its ensuite, while the fourth bedroom is upstairs with its own ensuite and a private balcony. The living areas of kitchen, dining and lounge spaces are impressive with their high, raking ceilings, which add to the sense of space in the home.
Laundry appliances are tucked away in a cupboard unit in a room off the kitchen, which Frances says offers pantry flexibility with its bench, sink and storage space. Together, Tony and Frances chose the fine finishes for the home, which include polished concrete floors at ground level, tiled bathrooms, and a custom leadlight window in the foyer from leadlight artist Richard Landers. The concrete floors have underfloor heating, which has been upgraded with a heat-pump water heater that also heats the domestic water for economy and efficiency. The couple have also replaced kitchen appliances
Touches of history were crafted into the home, too - in the front door crafted from the wood of a eucalyptus planted 35 years earlier by Tony, and in the built-in shelving in the living areas shaped from rimu timbers recycled following a major fire at Waitara’s freezing works. Tony and Frances have been very comfortable in this home and setting for the past 18 years, but recognise the wisdom of downsizing now for their later years.
They note the appeal of life on the edge of Waitara has increased over the years with the development first of the Waitara bypass, and then completion of the main-road roundabouts at Princess St and Brixton. It’s now just a 10-minute trip to shopping at The Valley, Tony says.
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