- Chris Mason is selling his four-bedroom bach at Snells Beach, with a 1968 Classic Torino.
- The property, named Powersurge House, features three pods, a heated infinity pool, and bespoke detailing.
- Mason and his agent expect $4.5 million for the house, which cost $3.2 million to build.
The globe-trotting founder of Burger Fuel is selling his one-of-a-kind bach at Auckland's Snells Beach.
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Chris Mason and his wife Caro built the four-bedroom house at 6 Arabella Lane to showcase the capabilities of the new property development company.
The couple are also throwing in a classic American muscle car to sweeten the deal. The 1968 Classic Torino was part of the Burger Fuel fleet when the Kiwi burger giant launched in the US nine years ago.
“Custom cars were kind of a Burger Fuel theme, so I grabbed one and brought it back and got it ready for New Zealand,” Mason told OneRoof.
The 1968 Classic Torino that comes with the house was used in Burger Fuel’s American launch. Photo / Supplied
The multi-level house took over two years to build and was shaped to preserve views of neighbouring homes. Photo / Supplied
“It’s quite rare, probably worth about $80,000 to $100,000. If it entices someone, then it’s a little bit of marketing.”
Mason's family moved back to New Zealand and into property just after Covid hit. "We were Covid refugees, it was November 2020," he said. “We had dragged the kids around Australia, Dubai, and the US, so we decided to roll back into New Zealand.
“From MIQ quarantine in Rotorua, I could see the market was starting to get interesting. When we came out, we had two houses to look at, and one was on Arabella Lane.”
The Masons bought the house and quickly saw the potential of the enclave, dubbed Brick Bay Heights. They bought the 1600sqm plot next door at 6 Arabella Lane and then set about creating a luxury bach.
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“I had done property in the 1980s and 90s. We built the first Burger Fuel in 1995 and some 100 stores around the world,” Mason said.
“I've done 25 years, and 25 years in food is hard. I had taken the company public, I had taken it around the world, I have taken the family around the world, done the Subway deal. I had a great time, but in the last few years before Covid I was like, ‘I’ve got to look at other things.'”
Design and consents took six months, while the build took around two years.
Mason is philosophical about the time and cost blow-outs, considering each challenge a useful lesson. "A bit like on Grand Designs. I reckon it's great fun at the start, it's an absolute nightmare in the middle, and then like two months from the end, it's good again,” he said.
Interior fit out by long-term Burger Fuel collaborator led to the house being dubbed the Powersurge house. Photo / Supplied
The house has a swimming pool and lots of decks. Photo / Supplied
“I really wanted to understand where the building industry had gone with codes and complexity. And I can tell you, it is going to be my life’s mission to get the complexity out of building. It is outrageous.”
The Masons used the same builder who built their own house, Grant Neill, of Pacific Environments, and worked closely with designer Todd Stevenson, of Powersurge, who provided the bespoke metal detailing on the house.
“Todd was just starting his business when he did the first Burger Fuel fit-out with me. He did 100 stores for Burger Fuel over 30 years. We love all the steel and brass, aged and blackened. It was fitting to do the bathrooms and kitchens, the lights, mirrors, the balustrades.”
Mason, who named the property Powersurge House in Stevenson's honour, said the biggest challenge was figuring out how to build a four-bedroom home with garaging and multiple living areas onto a sloping site with lots of covenants and restrictions.
“Pacific Environments nailed it with three pods stepping up the hill. We like contemporary, hard lines and quite boxy. It is cool and minimalist, a quite modern Japanese feel , and then you layer on the Powersurge stuff.”
The pods, which are finished in charred Accoya timber cladding, with concrete and plaster, start at the bottom of the hill. The central living area, which opens to a heated infinity pool, has a bespoke brass fireplace, a kitchen and scullery in marble and steel, while the top pod has a huge master suite, two more bedrooms, and a bathroom. The bottom pod houses the garage, a gym, an office, and a media room.
"It was always done as, hey, let's build, let's understand the building code again, let's get back in it. And let's see if we can make some money, which doesn't look likely," Mason said.
“Having built plenty of stores, I am au fait with things, but I could not believe the cost, quite frankly. I was hoping to bring the build in at $2.5m to $2.7m, and it ends up $3.2m. We learned a lot.”
Mason and his agent, Di Balich of Precision Real Estate, are expecting $4.5m for the house. "At one point, I had a billboard in Omaha that said $4.5m for the car and it comes with a free house,” Mason said.
Balich added: “It’s got location, the quality of the build, the uniqueness – the property is a work of art. If this were in Omaha, you’d be adding another $1.5m.”
- 6 Arabella Lane, Snells Beach, Auckland, is for sale, deadline closing June 20
