Couple aiming to 'spice it up' when they downsize

An abandoned church, a disused schoolhouse or an empty warehouse: they’re all among the options Lisa and Andrew Winter are considering for a new home when they transition to inner-city living. 

Whatever they decide, they know they’re seeking one thing – an adventure.

The Adelaide couple have four children – a daughter and son aged 19 and 20 and twin 12-year-old boys. With the older children about to move interstate or overseas for study and work, the family decided the time was ripe for a new chapter in their lives.

“We thought we’d spice it up a bit and move into town,” says Lisa, a full-time mum. “We are pretty committed to being either in town or North Adelaide.” That will enable Andrew to walk to his job in financial services, and the twins to walk or take the tram or city bus to their CBD school.

“It’ll just be easy,” says Lisa. “It’s about convenience and wanting a change.”

The Winters considered moving to the country but decided against it as their twin boys are heavily involved in a wide range of sports in the city – from athletics to cricket. They also didn’t want to simply switch suburbs. “We feel as if we’ve had one of the best possible suburban experiences already,” says Lisa.

The family would be happy buying an older-style property that has already been renovated, but one that is big enough to accommodate the four children hasn’t popped up on their radars yet. Hence, they are considering renovating a more quirky style of home.

“We’ll still need a fair bit of space because the kids will come and go,” says Lisa. “Once the older kids go they most probably won’t come back for any length of time, but we’d like to think they might. Most of our friends have got older children and they come and go.”

The Winters are selling their sprawling five-bedroom, four-bathroom home on 3700 square metres in the prestigious Adelaide suburb of Springfield. The property is being marketed by Harris Real Estate.

Homes on the market in the south-eastern Adelaide suburb, which is about eight kilometres from the CBD, range from $1 million to $5 million.

The Winters bought the foothills property at 5 Woodland Road 18 years ago when they returned to Adelaide to bring up their family, and enjoy the laid-back lifestyle.

“We wanted to come back and buy our slice of paradise,” says Lisa.

In their nearly two decades of ownership, the Winters created a guest suite and replaced all of the flooring with jarrah. They retained the home’s English styling and added a conservatory to enjoy the formal gardens year round.

One of the biggest changes the family invested in is initially invisible – an enormous 160,000-litre rainwater tank hidden under the lawn.

“We excavated it and they poured it on site,” says Lisa. “It was huge, bigger than the pool. But it’s fantastic because it has basically drought-proofed the property. We’re really proud of the fact that we didn’t just sink a bore because that’s not really sustainable. The other thing is, as the aquifer rises and falls the salinity levels are very different, so you would have to keep an eye on that.”

Moving out of a long-held family home can sometimes be difficult for children but Lisa says her sons and daughter can appreciate it’s time for something new.

“They’re really excited because it is a new adventure,” she says. “I think that it doesn’t really matter where you are, as long as you’re moving as a family.”