Buying guide
Summit Drive 70s architectural home up for sale for the first time
A high-end 1970s Mt Albert home designed by its architect owner hits the market for the first time.
Last updated: 14 September 2023
A 1970s architecturally-designed home in one of Mt Albert’s top streets has attracted a record number of viewings in its first week on the market, with 34 groups going through before the listing was even online.
And many of those coming to see the home at 7 Summit Drive, a regular venue for Auckland garden tours, will be people who have always wanted to see what it’s like inside. Some will be local Mt Albert homeowners who have walked past the home every day as they walk up Ōwairaka/Mt Albert with their dogs.
Ray White Mt Eden’s John Covich and Rachel Berry are selling the home and say it’s a rare opportunity for the market.
7 Summit Drive, Mount Albert
“Higher end homes in Mt Albert are very tightly held,” says Rachel. “Once people arrive in Mt Albert, they don’t tend to leave Mt Albert. What you get is great school zones but also scale, you get the big house. People are surprised at how close to the city it is. And there’s great coffee here,” she adds.
Others lining up to visit the property have been architects, who were alerted about the upcoming sale through their industry newsletter, and they’ve been keen to see what design elements the home has.
The attractive house, with a north west aspect, was designed by the commercial architect owner of the property, who drew inspiration from renowned architect Sir Miles Warren. Building the home and pool in 1974, he had a large 1,234 sq m site to work with, which was formerly the tennis court of the beautiful neighbouring historic homestead.
A 45 sq m one bedroom cottage was added for a family member in 1997, close to the pool which could be turned into a pool house by the next owner, suggests Rachel. It has its own access and garage and is a complete self-contained minor dwelling if you wanted to do a home and income, she adds.
7 Summit Drive, Mount Albert
When a designer home stands the test of time
Apart from a kitchen update around 20 years ago, the nearly 300 sq m home remains relatively untouched from its original design.
“People coming through the house have been impressed by the size and how distinctive the home is. There’s nothing else like it that’s come up,” says Rachel.
The flow upstairs works really well, she adds. At the top of the stairs the space is arranged in a T, with three bedrooms and a family bathroom in one direction, and then the primary bedroom and a bathroom in the other. One side of the landing looks down onto the dining room, the other side looks over the living room and there are views to the city and to the Upper Harbour from the upstairs bedrooms.
Other design features of the home include the floating staircase and Japanese-style sliding doors. And the yellow joinery on the home’s exterior against the white painted, bagged brick is beautiful, says Rachel.
“It’s not a cookie cutter house by any means,” she says. The home has a formal dining space and a separate snug or second lounge, which could be today’s version of a media room. The house’s rooms are quite contained, as is common in 70s architectural homes.
Happily, this kind of design fits in well with today’s homeowners, who are moving away from open plan living. “People are now saying we want more divided spaces,” says Rachel.
This is a property that was designed with entertaining in mind, says Rachel. Its central living room has a vaulted, double-storey ceiling, bringing in lots of light. The expansive patios and gardens have also made the home a gathering place for all kinds of events over the years.
The home also has an impressive double garage with internal access, and there’s another single garage further up Summit Drive to give the property triple garage parking.
The property has a Rateable Value (RV) of $3.95 million and will go to auction on September 27. John and Rachel are seeing strong local interest but also expect inquiry from across the country and internationally.
Open homes are being held on Thursdays and Sundays in the run up to the auction.
7 Summit Drive, Mount Albert
Author
