In my travels I look at many, many houses and when you see a good one, it really stands out.  No. 4 Talofa Street Brighton East is a good example, and if not sold prior to will be auctioned by Buxton’s on June 14 at 11.30am.

This house really has everything, and I believe represents a fine example of contemporary urban architecture, embracing the latest technologies and also suiting well the requirements of most families. The style is not trying to be something it is not, which is a welcome change and quality has not been compromised here.

Nice design touches include –

• deep reveals to  window openings – this helps with shading and improves the aesthetic;
• full height internal doors, very effective in accentuating the feeling of space
• large entry door, again this is an impressive statement which also accentuates the space;
• wide stairs and hallways.

Given a fairly average block size of 604m2, this house is quite large and packs in a lot. One of the real keys to this is the four car basement (which also accommodates a home theatre and wine cellar).  This car accommodation does not impose on the ground level building footprint, nor does the garage entrance dominate the facade of the house.

On a minor note, lack of privacy to the front courtyard lets this down a little, however this could be easily rectified with the installation of  a solid fence. The rear yard has a  south-westerly aspect, meaning parts of this area will be in shade.

Sensibly, a ground floor bedroom / guest room is located to the front of the house (this is important in the event that a family member becomes unable to climb stairs) and also provides flexibility for the future of a growing family (ie maybe the parents do not want to share the first floor with growing teenagers). Open plan living is very spacious and connects well to the external living area via large, full height sliding doors – most people would really appreciate and love this house. It will be interesting to see things unfold with regard to its sale.