From the swimming pool at this licensed builder-electrician’s own carefully crafted contemporary family home, you can look right through the residence to admire its expansive sea views.
Brett and wife Michelle missed out when they first tried to buy the section here but secured it two years later in 2015, when it was sold again.
Brett says: “We’re into water sports and wanted to move somewhere coastal for our boys. This brilliant clifftop location with amazing views sits between Orewa and Hatfields Beach, where we launch our boat. l love designing and building and this site provided an amazing opportunity.”
He built the upper storey on the ground, then had a 130-tonne crane lift it up into place, before completing the lower levels.
Start your property search
“We love how once inside the view just opens up, from Whangaparaoa with Rangitoto in behind, to the end of Coromandel and around to the Great Barrier Islands.”
The couple’s two sons were 7 and 9 when the family moved in in Easter 2017.
Brett says: “Michelle and I had been together for 16 years and decided that this property would make a great wedding venue. We got married here in 2019 with more than 100 guests and a band played on the seaside.”
Their main open-plan area opens up almost entirely on two sides, blurring the indoor-outdoor boundary.
Toni Roberts Kitchen Architecture designed the award-winning kitchen.
The builder-homeowner constructed the upper storey on the ground, then had a 130-tonne crane lift it up into place, before completing the lower levels.
Brett says: “I really like the way the home opens up to let the breeze through. You almost feel like you’re outdoors.”
Chartered accountant Michelle says: “It’s a perfect house for entertaining; we have had many family functions here. When cooking I often gaze out to the sea or poolside, it’s our own private oasis.”
Toni Roberts Kitchen Architecture designed the kitchen which is award-winning – National Kitchen and Bathroom Association Supreme Kitchen Design runner-up 2018 and Trends International Design Awards runner-up NZ Designer Kitchen of the Year 2019.
Brett crafted the 400sqm home from cedar, concrete blocks and abundant glass. It melds natural materiality with a subtly industrial aesthetic. It features cedar walls and ceilings, polished concrete, American oak and wool carpeted flooring and concrete block feature walls.
It’s fronted by generous off-street parking and an internal-access double garage. Entering through the front door reveals a handsome steel-framed industrial-style staircase and then the open-plan expanse. Its cedar-sarked ceiling is breathtaking and there’s a wood-burning fireplace for cooler months.
Its front opens wide to a deck, lawn and native planting. On the inland side it opens to more decking and the extremely sheltered and private pool area with outdoor fireplace.
The view takes in Whangaparaoa with Rangitoto behind to the end of Coromandel and around to the Great Barrier Islands.
The home has five bedrooms, three bathrooms, garaging for two vehicles, off-street parking, a powder room, two living areas, and a study.
The double-oven entertainers’ kitchen includes teak cabinetry, an island topped with leathered-finish granite and supported by a handcrafted blackened steel frame and a bespoke stainless steel rangehood.
A second living area, powder room, storage and laundry complete this level. Upstairs a good-sized family room opening to a front deck and a neighbouring study separate children’s and parents’ bedrooms. The master suite with balcony has an expansive walk-in wardrobe and sophisticated ensuite.
Three more bedrooms are served by a family bathroom and additional powder room. The lower level’s large bedroom with ensuite opens to its own front deck.
A bus 100 metres from their address delivered their sons to Pinehurst School in Albany. With their eldest son off at university, they’ll downsize and design and build on another clifftop section in Stanmore Bay.
Bayleys agent Jenni Finlayson says: “This impressive waterfront property is truly one-of-a-kind. Its contemporary design and rich tapestry of textures create an exquisite home with breathtaking views.”
491 Hibiscus Coast Highway in Orewa, Rodney, is on the market for sale by way of tender closing April 9.
- Sponsored by Bayleys
