GRAND GESTURE

A couple attended the auction of this grand North Canterbury house out of curiosity, but one rogue bid and it was theirs

A Canterbury couple become the almost unwitting owners of an impressive property.

ABOVE Tim and Mandy Donaldson’s magnificent home in Clarkville takes centre stage in its parklike setting; they added the portico to the main entrance to enhance the sense of arrival and new glass inserts in the double entry doors allow a view of the majestic oak-lined driveway and the silk tree in the circular lawn: “Every window is like a painting. It brings the garden inside,” says Mandy.