Mentone Racecourse Estate house features a man cave in historic backyard stables

9 Albenca St, Mentone - for herald sun real estate

9 Albenca St, Mentone, has a man cave in former stables located in the backyard.

For Amanda Spark, her Mentone house is not just a home, it’s a beloved family residence.

The abode at 9 Albenca St, which Ms Spark and her husband Todd bought more than a decade ago, went under the hammer on Saturday.

Buxton Hampton East director and auctioneer Leigh Fletcher said the house passed in on a $1.41m bid.

He was negotiating with bidders afterwards, and the home will be listed for a $1.47m private sale if it does not sell to one of them.

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Ms and Mr Spark bought the residence when one of their sons started high school in the Bayside area.

Their move from Melbourne’s western suburbs also made sense because the couple worked at Coca-Cola Amatil’s Moorabbin office, at the time.

The open-plan kitchen, living and dining area gets plenty of natural light thanks its north west aspect.

The undercover outdoor entertainer’s area.

The owner says the house is close to the beach, about 2km to Southland shopping centre and about 10km to Chadstone.

Their new home was located in the Mentone Racecourse Estate, formerly home to the Mentone Racecourse from 1888 to 1948.

The 809sq m block and location close to the beach, shops, open spaces and restaurants won them over.

Having several nearby parks gave their sons, Dillon and Lyndon, plenty of places to kick a football around.

Ms Spark said they also loved the former horse stables in the backyard, which they have used as a workshop, for storage and as a man cave complete with a bar and toilet.

A family with the surname Ross previously operated the stables.

The backyard has hosted plenty of family events.

There’s wide benchtops, plenty of cupboards, a Bosch oven and dishwasher in the kitchen.

Across the Sparks’ years at the four-bedroom house, they have renovated, installed an ensuite alongside the main bedroom and added an outdoor pergola.

“We really did turn it into a home,” Ms Spark said.

“We have enjoyed plenty of birthdays and family barbecues. We’ve done a lot of entertaining with family and friends there.”

The home is handily close to Monash University’s Clayton campus – equating to a drive of about 13km – with Dillon studying a PhD in microbiology and Lyndon studying aerospace engineering.

Floor-to-ceiling tiles, stone benchtops, a shower and bath in the main bathroom.

Other features include a study, heating, cooling and an additional shed outdoors.

Ms Spark said that after moving across from the western suburbs, she had fallen in love with the Mentone area.

“It’s certainly a beautiful area to raise a young family, then go on to high school and take it to a whole new level with two sons who have gone on to university,” she said.

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