The Noranda Home Where the Kids May Never Want to Come Inside

There was a time when a family home was measured by more than the number of bedrooms and bathrooms.

There was the backyard.

A place to run, play, ride bikes, kick a ball, make a mess and spend an afternoon outside. Maybe there was a dog. Perhaps a few chooks. And, if you were really lucky, there was somewhere that felt like it belonged entirely to the kids.

At 17 Smitherson Street, Noranda, much of that traditional idea of family living is still here.

And it starts with a home that has been created for everyday life.

Plenty of room for the family

Step inside and there is an immediate sense of space and practicality.

The living areas give the family room to spread out while still feeling connected. There is space for everyday living, relaxing and entertaining without everything having to happen in the same room.

At the heart of the home is the kitchen.

Well positioned and overlooking the backyard, it connects naturally with what is happening outside. You can be preparing dinner, making coffee or simply standing at the kitchen bench and still see the activity beyond the windows.

For a family, it is a small detail that can make a considerable difference to everyday life.

Bedrooms to retreat to

Away from the main living areas, the bedrooms provide the private spaces every family needs.

But one of the home’s real surprises is the quality of the bathrooms.

Stylish, contemporary and finished to an impressive standard, they bring a distinctly upmarket element to the home.

They are the kind of spaces that feel more like something you would expect to find in a much newer property.

It creates an interesting balance — the space and established character of a family home combined with beautifully updated areas where much of the hard work has already been done.

Then open the back door

This is where 17 Smitherson Street begins to separate itself from the ordinary.

The backyard isn’t simply an outdoor area designed to be looked at.

There is room to actually use it.

Room for the children to run.

Room for games.

Room for pets.

Room to kick a ball without every kick ending against a fence.

And yes, there are even chooks adding a little bit of country life to suburban Noranda.

But keep walking, because the backyard has another surprise.

The kids have their own “house”

Separate from the main home is a dedicated space that could very quickly become the most popular part of the property.

Especially with the kids.

Their toys can go there.

Their games can go there.

Their friends can go there.

And perhaps most importantly for the adults — some of their mess can go there too.

It is a space that can change as the family changes.

For younger children, it could be a play area and their own little world away from the main house.

Later, its role can evolve as family needs change.

It is this flexibility that makes the space so interesting. It doesn’t have to be defined by a single purpose.

Every family can look at it differently.

A backyard that can become part of childhood

Perhaps that is what makes the property particularly appealing.

Some of the best memories of growing up don’t happen in perfectly styled rooms.

They happen outside.

Running barefoot across the lawn.

Building things that probably shouldn’t have been built.

Chasing the chooks.

Playing until somebody calls you inside.

Having friends over and disappearing for hours.

At 17 Smitherson Street, there is room for those moments.

The backyard is connected to the home rather than feeling like an afterthought, with the kitchen looking directly across it.

It means the children can have some independence while family life continues only a few metres away.

Established Noranda living

That sense of space is one of the qualities that continues to make established areas such as Noranda attractive to families.

Here, you have a home and backyard that already exist as part of an established neighbourhood.

You don’t have to imagine what the property might eventually become.

You can walk through the house, step into the backyard and immediately understand how it could work.

There is room to entertain.

Room for the family.

Room for the children.

And importantly, room for life to change over the years.

A home that doesn’t take itself too seriously

There are plenty of homes that can impress you with finishes, features and presentation.

17 Smitherson Street has those elements too, particularly its outstanding bathrooms.

But perhaps its greatest strength is something simpler.

It looks like a home where a family can actually have fun.

The kitchen overlooks the backyard.

The kids have space to run.

They have a place of their own.

There are chooks wandering around.

And there is enough space outside for childhood to happen somewhere other than in front of a screen.

Which leaves only one potential problem.

You may have trouble getting the kids to come inside.

17 Smitherson Street, Noranda

A well-presented family home offering generous living areas, a kitchen overlooking the backyard, impressive upmarket bathrooms, plenty of outdoor space and a separate area the kids may very quickly claim as their own.

Home Open Sunday at 2:30pm

Gregory Swiatek
Ray White Whiteman & Associates