The owners of an unusually shaped section on a private lane near the St Kilda subdivision, in Cambridge, came up with a canny way of avoid more mowing by building a mini me version of their main house on it.
Daniel Kirk thinks his section at 1/45 St Kilda Road was the last one to be built on in the subdivision because its strange shape had left people stumped.
About 1500sqm of the 4457sqm section was set away from the larger building site accessible via a strip of land.
“No one could figure out what to do with the part out of the front, which is where we’ve got our little house,” he said.
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“The other option was mow it forever, see if we could get an orchard or something like that or see if we could get the little house done.”
The Kirk family enlisted the help of Cambridge architects LAD who created plans for a smaller 39sqm dwelling to match the 308sqm luxury four-bedroom, two-bathroom family home they had also designed for them.
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“We didn’t just want do a basic garage or a room. We wanted it to actually look like the main house so it’s got all the exact features and everything that the main house has.”
Both properties have the same black front door, tiled bathroom, polished concrete floors and complimentary kitchens making The Little House of St Kilda effectively a smaller version of the larger home down one of the town’s most exclusive street’s Lyndon Lane.
Visible from the main road, Kirk said the Little House on St Kilda has been a great holiday rental netting a healthy income.
The property has about a 90% occupancy rate with people staying for weddings, visit friends in the area and overseas visitors.
Due to the layout of the site, it was also set away from the main house which gave both properties their privacy.
“They feel like they are all there by themselves rather than something that is just stitched onto the side of somebody’s house.”
The property sports a bright and modern finish and interior style. Photo / Supplied
While the main house had also suited their family well with the master bedroom at one end of the house and a retreat for their teenage daughters at the other.
“It’s quite a high-spec house, but it’s fairly relaxed. It’s not pretentious in anyway I don’t think. It’s just a nice house to live in for a family.”
But after two years of living there, the family has decided to reprioritise and move on to their next project so the house is for sale priced by negotiation with a price indication from the high-$2m to early $3ms.
However, Kirk said they won’t be moving far as they love Cambridge and their teenagers attend school there.
Cambridge Real Estate listing agent Sacha Webb said not only are buyers getting a stunning family home, but they also have the option of having an option accommodation or run a side hustle of an AirBnB.
The “cute mini me” has a professional feel so could also be used as a studio or office to meet clients, she added.
The property comes with its own “mini me”, dubbed The Little House on St Kilda. Photo / Supplied
Being on a private lane on the outskirt of the St Kilda subdivision means the property sits on a larger section on a more exclusive street than those in the actual subdivision, but the café, restaurant and childcare are still just a few minutes away.
Webb said Cambridge is a “boutique little town” which is seen as a real destination for Aucklanders.
“Funny enough a lot of Aucklanders get lured to Cambridge because their children are involved in rowing or cycling or triathletes and then they go, ‘oh my gosh, what a great place to live’.”
The new motorway has also shortened the travel time between Auckland and Cambridge.
And while prices have increased in the town and are not as much as a bargain as Aucklanders expect, people are still drawn to the village vibe and good quality homes available.
“It is a really neat town to live in. I think what people buy into here is the lifestyle.”
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