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FEATURE LISTING: Picture-perfect Parkside

Andrea and Ashley Haren are selling their century-old villa on Young Street with a swimming pool, modern entertaining pavilion and double-brick extension, just a stone’s throw from the CBD.

Low maintenance, double-brick extension, charming character features and plenty of back yard space for family living – simplicity can be underrated when it comes to real estate.

But then of course there’s location, which Parkside’s Young Street is hard to beat and so close to the city that it would raise the eyebrows of homeowners in inner-city Melbourne or Sydney.

For Andrea and Ashley Haren, 128 Young Street has provided more than they could want in the ideal family home for them and their two sons, but after 22 years it has come time to sell.

“It’s just a good house with a really nice feel to it, everyone who walks in here says that – it’s not too big, it has just enough room and there aren’t any spaces that we don’t use,” says Andrea.

“We’re definitely going to miss it.”

Their current address is the second home they’ve owned on Young Street.

They previously lived three doors along in their first home, a “renovator’s delight”, which they sold when they moved to Brisbane and then Argentina for Ashley’s work in human resources for a mining company.

“For some reason, we decided to sell it; I don’t even remember why,” Andrea says.

“We ended up moving back to Adelaide and buying 128 Young Street just three doors down from our first house.”

The couple came to fully appreciate the location when they moved again, this time to Melbourne for three years, realising that the same location there would cost several million dollars.

Deciding not to sell their Parkside address this time around, but instead renting it out while they rented in Melbourne, was the best decision they ever made.

“It was tempting to sell it, but we wanted the same type of house in Melbourne, which of course even 20 years ago, average prices were well above $4 million to live that close to the city,” says Andrea.

“It made us appreciate it (Parkside) and it was nice knowing we had it to come back to.

“When we came back to Adelaide, we moved back into our home, which was the best thing we ever did because house prices had gone up in that time and we may not have been able to buy the same house back.

Andrea admits the couple has not undertaken any spectacular over-the-top renovations, but that is part of the home’s charm.

They have updated the home over the years, including the addition of a new en suite and walk-in wardrobe.

They replaced the rear pergola with a modern outdoor living space featuring a stacked stone wall and timber decking.

They then had a pool installed to the side of the house – which was a fantastic decision as it allowed them to keep all of their lawn for backyard cricket and their dog, Jerry the vizsla.

“We were thinking of getting a pool and the obvious place to put it was in the yard but we had a space down the side of the house where our clothesline was.

“We thought that maybe we could squeeze the pool there and we wouldn’t lose any of the lawn space.

“It was a great move because now we’ve got the pool and the deck and we’ve kept that huge grassed area.”

Ashley has made full use of the pool and in summer often dives straight in after walking home from work.

Andrea says the pool complies with regulations, but new owners with a young family may need to install a pool fence.

Meanwhile, the rest of the yard will appeal to those seeking a low-maintenance lifestyle.

“The only thing you have to do is mow the lawn, everything else is basically succulents. There’s nothing else that you have to do.

“It’s also a really quiet spot on a dead-end street – people always comment on how quiet it is.

“Every now and then you can hear a concert, which is actually great, but you don’t generally hear any traffic – we’re far enough away from main roads.”

With their sons moving out, Ashley and Andrea have decided to embark on a new project of renovating a small character cottage at Hyde Park.

“I love interior design and architecture so a renovation like this is something I’ve always wanted to do,” she says.

“The next owners will definitely enjoy the location of Young street.

“It’s just a great family home in an excellent spot and we were lucky to live there for 22 years, but we’re excited about our next adventure.”

The sale is being handled by Georgie Todd and Lucy Johnson of Harris Real Estate.

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