Beach, bath & beyond

A former bach had the right flow for modern family life, while the coastal location and backyard sealed the deal

- Fiona Barber

No words were required. Once Ilze and Ethan Leggett stepped inside the Whangaparāoa Peninsula house with sea views, they looked at each other and instantly knew. They’d hit the jackpot – this was the house they had been searching for.

The couple, who have two young children, had already missed out on a number of homes and had just about given up hunting when, soon after the first lockdown in 2020, they found the former bach at Stanmore Bay. Within the hour they’d put in an offer for the 174sqm house, and the next day the deal was sealed – before it had hit the market.

“The coastal location stole our hearts,” explains Ilze. But there was much more about the 80s-style home on a 817sqm section that appealed. It had four bedrooms, three bathrooms, a double garage, study, a good-sized backyard – and that dreamy big blue outlook.

It matched up in other ways, too. “We had quite a lot of boxes to tick because we were searching for that ‘family’ home,” she adds.

First up, the bedrooms and living area were all on one level and close together, something the couple didn’t have in their previous home. The backyard was another plus. “We didn’t expect to find anything with such a big space for the kids to play and grow up.” 

They could move in without having to do a thing as previous owners had carried out a good deal of the work and “with a baby and a three-year-old this was extremely appealing. We kept all the layouts the same, because why change something if it works, right? It had flow, it just needed our stamp put on it to make our house feel like our home.” 

Centre stage