- An igloo-style home in Whanganui, transformed by its owner, is for sale.
- The 70s-era home has been given a Mediterranean overhaul.
- The property includes a garage, thriving garden and unique skylights offering views of the Milky Way.
An igloo-style home that went from dingy to “to die for” is up for grabs in Whanganui for around $400,000.
Start your property search
The unusual-looking three-bedroom home was transformed and upgraded by its owner after she snapped it up in 2019 for $190,000.
Sharlene, who has spent much of her life in southern Europe and proudly calls herself a “Ki-oui”, told OneRoof the property at 55 Surrey Road, in Springvale, was “quite run-down” when she took possession.
The way the property captures light is one of the highlights. Photo / Supplied
The property has a strong Mediterranean vibe. Photo / Supplied
“My vision was to create something Mediterranean, which is what I felt that I could turn it into. That’s pretty much what I’ve done over the six years I’ve owned it,” she said.
OneRoof profiled the 70s-era home when it hit the market in 2019 and the agent selling it admitted the style of architecture was one buyers either loved or hated.
Sharlene told OneRoof she loved the property and its Mediterranean vibe.
“When my parents were first starting out in life, they left me with a family who were from Greece, and I wonder if that’s rubbed off a bit.”
Discover more:
- Aucklanders selling NZ's remotest hotel - it's the 'closest thing to the Wild West'
- 'Some very famous people' - Hollywood interest in $1m beach on Matakana Island
- Liquidation sale: Crumbling South Island estate with dark past sells for $3.2m
With her Whanganui home, Sharlene set out to create a “maison bulle” (bubble house). Dome homes are not uncommon in France and are often quite spectacular compared to the ones that cropped up in New Zealand in the 1970s.
During the renovation, locals stopped by and shared their memories of the home. A highlight for Sharlene was when the original owner, Pete Bevan, visited.
Despite the famous name, he isn’t the same Peter Bevan who is fêted for his architectural work. The Whanganui Pete Bevan designed and built the home in 1979, Sharlene said. “It was amazing meeting the architect,” she said.
He told her he had built the home as a newlywed. “He built the first dome when he and his wife had a new baby. While they lived in the first dome, he built the second while the little one was growing up.”
The vendor tried to incorporate some of the property's original-era features. Photo / Supplied
Dome homes were popular in the 1970s. Photo / Supplied
Like other dome homes built in the 70s, Bevan’s property home has a metal frame and concrete walls.
Coloured plastic skylights on top and triangular windows make for interesting light patterns. “They throw the light through, and you’ll get light up the walls. In the summertime, you’ll have light in different positions than you would in winter,” Sharlene said.
“When it’s raining, you can see birds flying and if you get a very clear night, and there’s not a lot of flash out there, you’ll see the whole Milky Way out across the top.
“You can actually shower and look out at the clouds. If it’s night, you see the stars. If it’s day, you’ve got the sun shining on you.”
Sharlene put time and effort into colours to give the interior a Mediterranean feel, adding blue trims that are common in tourism photos of Greece and Italy. “I just love the blue, we have a lot of blue shutters in France.”
What the home looked like when the vendor bought it in 2019. Photo / Supplied
Even the garden gate is Mediterranean in style.
The main interior shade is Resene half Thorndon cream, with white doors and woodwork.
Where possible, Sharlene kept the original features. Although the bathroom is more modern, much of the original kitchen and cupboards were saved. She reversed the kitchen cabinet doors for a more modern look. “I’ve just modernised it with that and painted it white.”
She also kept the original 1970s floor tiles, although not all of her friends agreed with the decision. “I’ve used the original flooring because that’s European to me,” she said. The buyer could replace them if they so choose.
The original building permit for the home and carport was dated March 30, 1979, and estimated the cost of the build at $18,500 plus $500 for plumbing and drainage. Council fees amounted to $530.
The land was originally an orchard, and the soil has proved to be very fertile, said Sharlene. “It does have lovely fruit trees here now – grapes, and I’ve got red and green and figs and all those things, avocados.”
Unusual for a dome house in New Zealand, the property has a garage, built in the same style. It started life as a carport and was enclosed at some point.
- 55 Surrey Road, Springvale, Whanganui, is for sale, enquiries over $399,000