43 Grove St, Unley Park: an old-meets-new stunner with the lot
An Unley Park home is the perfect place to raise a family.
Jason and Elizabeth Minney bought the home in 2009, and Mr Minney says it really was a case of love at first sight.
“We had small children back then and we really wanted to get them outside and being active as they grew up – and that was really what sold it for us, in that there was plenty of room for them to ride their bikes around,” Mr Minney says.
“We came from a reasonable-sized house and then to come here with the yard and the court and the pool, it was brilliant.
“We came through an open inspection and it was a beautiful day and I looked out and just saw the kids running around the tennis court and playing there … and that’s really what sold it for us and made us decide that this was the place for us.
“My wife fell in love with the master suite and dragged me here – I didn’t really want to come because I wasn’t sure it was for us, but then I went through and went outside and thought ‘wow – this is what living is like, this is how you should be bringing up your kids’. They learned to ride their bikes out there and they haven’t stopped playing since.”
The location has also been brilliant.
“My daughter had just started at Walford, which is just around the corner, and I work in Unley so it’s close for me,” Mr Minney says. “My wife and I like to go to the city, and back then it was a really cheap taxi ride – now it’s a really cheap Uber trip – and there are great places to hang out in Hyde Park with some fantastic little restaurants and cafes, so it’s got everything we wanted and it’s even got a great park at the end of the street.
“Then there’s Unley Rd and King William Rd and King William Rd just keeps getting better and better. It’s wonderful.”
The home is set over a single level and has up to five bedrooms, or four and a study. The master suite sits at the front and has a fireplace and a walk-in robe and a spacious ensuite with a shower, a spa bath, a toilet and a vanity unit.
A formal lounge sits in the centre of the floorplan, to the left hand side of the grand hallway, while the heart of the home is undoubtedly the open-plan kitchen, family and dining room at the rear, opening out to an alfresco pavilion overlooking both an inground pool and a tennis court.
“We’ve redecorated the property and made it our own and brought it in line with how we like to live, but the home was so perfect for us we didn’t need to change anything really,” Mr Minney says.
“Space-wise, it’s fantastic. All of the rooms are gigantic, so the kids have got plenty of space in their own rooms to hang out, and then they’ve got the outside area and then there’s the lounge room which my wife and I use quite a bit to get some time to ourselves. We don’t try and avoid the kids, but it works out well that they’ve got their spaces and we’ve got ours. We love that they feel comfortable here and want to bring their friends over and play. It’s really an entertainer’s home because it’s got this giant outdoor area and the inside leads outside really well.
“We’ve got quite a large family and the first year we were here we invited them all over and we had our first family Christmas together. We were able to fit everyone inside and had music playing right throughout the whole house – we filled the air with silly Christmas songs and it was wonderful.
“It’s also great to have your mates over for a few beers and a game of tennis or to have some friends over for a barbecue, and for about the past 10 years we’ve had big New Year’s Eve parties here where everyone comes over and the kids swim in the pool and run with sparklers on the tennis court and just enjoy the night. New Year’s Eve is always brilliant.”
With three children, Mr Minney says the home’s pool has been a huge hit.
“The two boys both learned to swim here and there wouldn’t be a day in summer when we’re not in there – the kids will come home from school and have a quick dip in the pool straight away,” Mr Minney says. “We’re in there the very first day we can get in it, right up until the last day we can bear it – it probably gets used six or seven months of the year.”
Mr Minney says the couple is now looking for a change and the time has come to sell, hopefully to a family who will “love it as much” as they have.
Price: Contact agent.
Agent: Ouwens Casserly Real Estate, Alistair Loudon 0481 361 617 & Luke Holden 0466 600 455.
Land size: 1535sqm.
Expressions of interest: Close Tuesday, October 19 at 1pm.
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