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GET ON THE LADDER WITH AN APARTMENT FEATURING RURAL AND LIFESTYLE

Think hard about what you need when finding a forever home, the experts tell Pattie Pegler.

Family life has changed for many. We live a lot more informally than we used to, we’re often time poor, and we’re juggling different demands.

So when it comes to the family home, what should we be looking for?

The real estate agent Think location

Location is a big deal says Antonia Brown, a real estate sales director based in Wellington. Littlies might love running around a rural property in Ka¯ piti, but teenagers can get frustrated stuck out of town and away from their friends.

And many family home buyers no longer want the quarter-acre paradise. With both parents often working and so many extra-curricular activities for kids, there is real time pressure.

Nobody wants to head home and mow the lawn at 9pm.

The same goes for type of home. Cities like Wellington have plenty of older homes, and they’re generally in great locations. But Brown suggests that people need ‘‘to have a real passion to take on these homes’’. The older the home, the more time and money spent on maintaining and/or restoring.

‘‘Move into an apartment next to a skate park. Your kids will love you for it,’’ says Brown. Older children get some independence and parents aren’t chauffeuring them around.

Instead of using the backyard as a play area, families can use parks and public green spaces with the bonus of not having to maintain them.

The key for many families is easy homes that won’t soak up free time. ‘‘They’re typically looking for something modern, eco-friendly, easy to heat and maintain and with a couple of bathrooms,’’ says Brown.

The property inspector Look for space to grow

‘‘The ability to be able to grow into the home is really important for long-term homes,’’ says Canterbury-based property inspector, Jeremy Cox.

With wife Melanie, he designed and built their family home four years ago. They thought a lot about layout, family lifestyle and how family living has changed.

‘‘When I was a kid all my toys were in my room, you’d go off and play in your room,’’ says Cox. ‘‘Now, our two kids don’t spend a heap of time in their rooms. The kitchen is the hub of the home.’’

So those big, open-plan areas where the family can come together and do their own things are important. A large kitchen island can be where dinner is prepped, kids can do homework, visitors can sit and chat and the family can even eat.

It’s good for rooms to be flexible too, says Cox, so think about how a space might work as your kids grow up.

A spare room could go from home office to second bedroom to guest bedroom, for example, at different stages of life.

For example, Cox has built in versatility with a bigger than average garage – so it can be used as a social area. ‘‘We put in carpet, insulated it.

‘‘So when the kids get a bit older, and they want to hang out, it can be another area with a pool table and stuff, rather than just a cold place where you put a car.’’

Other key family requirements include plenty of storage, and a separate toilet and bathroom can make life run more smoothly.

And crucially, think about heating. Old villas may not be insulated and can be hard to heat.

‘‘Sun is so important to heat a house,’’ says Cox. ‘‘With good insulation and all day sun, time it right, get those curtains across, and you can save on heating bills.’’

The architect Healthy and well-designed

Mitchell Coll, a Christchurchbased architect, agrees, ‘‘A healthy, warm home – whether old or new – that’s really important for families, particularly with young children.’’

So always ask about heating and insulation in a prospective home. Think about ceiling and wall insulation, underfloor and vapour barrier, proper ventilation in showers and range hoods, explains Coll. If the home doesn’t have these, think about what it would cost to put them in.

And Coll echoes the idea of sunlight being important. Consider how the sun moves around the house at different times of the year. Or use a sun position app on your phone he says. As the name suggests, they are great for seeing how the sun will come in through windows and where it will fall during the day.

Acoustics are important too for family living, says Coll. Obviously, these are more easily dealt with if you are designing from scratch but, in older homes, think about how the layout of the rooms might work.

So you probably don’t want a home office next to a play room; or the communal, open-plan living area sharing a wall with the master bedroom.

And if you’re thinking longterm, then think about accessibility. ‘‘A lot of people have their head in the sand around age,’’ says Coll. ‘‘But it’s really important to consider, particularly if you want a forever home.’’

Ultimately all families are slightly different. ‘‘Sit down and think how do we live?’’ says Coll. ‘‘What do we really need and what do we want? And are we willing to pay more for those things if necessary?’’

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2021-07-24T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-07-24T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://fairfaxmedia.pressreader.com/article/282772064596509

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