- A-Frame houses are popular in New Zealand, attracting strong buyer interest, especially in scenic locations.
- A three-bedroom A-Frame in Whangārei recently sold for $565,000, above its RV.
- A-Frames, dating back to the 1960s, remain sought after for their unique design and practicality.
A-Frame houses have quite the following in New Zealand and when they hit the market a stampede of buyers typically follows.
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Most are perched in settings with magical mountain views or overlooking the ocean, but they can be occasionally found in suburbia.
When Harcourts agent Renee Willis listed an A-Frame home on Glendale Road, in Woodhill, Whangarei, people went “nuts”.
She had four pre-auction offers within days: “The auction was cancelled, had a contract, had a back-up and the inquiry continued. I could have sold it a couple of times over.”
The three-storey, three-bedroom A-Frame home on Glendale Road sold for more than its RV. Photo / Supplied
Sure, the property had a lot going for it with three double bedrooms over three levels on a 1700sq m site bordering a reserve, but the house itself – picture a capital A - was just “really neat”, she says.
The property last month for $565,000, just over its $560,000 RV, and while the price range was first-home buyer territory, first-home buyers were not the new owners, she said.
She couldn’t say much about the new owners but said all sorts of people had been interested, from people who wanted to live in the home to people who thought it would make a great Airbnb.
“It had a distinct point of difference with that A-Frame, and three levels. This was something a bit different in the right location that was in the right price bracket for people.”
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In its day, the house would have been “incredibly different and funky”.
“Personally, I would have loved to have met who built that house because it was obviously somebody’s dream.”
While a lot of people who came to view also wanted to buy, Willis said there was the odd perplexed comment, like: "Where am I going to put the bookshelves?"
“I said, ‘Well, you're a bit limited there’. I came up with, ‘You could make pretty cool shelves almost like an art piece for your books.’”
A lot of New Zealand’s residential A-Frames date back to the 1960s and 1970s but the design is still popular with modern structures built to take advantage of locations and lifestyles.
A two-bedroom A-frame just 10m from the sand on Great Barrier Island has an asking price of $975,000. Photo / Supplied
At any one time, OneRoof has a number of A-Frames listed. On Great Barrier Island in the Hauraki Gulf, for example, there is one available a hop and a skip from the beach.
Agent Mike Jensen, from Barfoot & Thompson, says the two-bedroom property at 420 Shoal Bay Road was the only A-Frame on the island he could think of - and definitely in one of the best locations, over the road from Gooseberry Flat Beach.
“There's the beach then the road then there's the house. You’d think the island's full of waterfront properties but it's actually not so that's one of its big drivers - you're literally across the road from the beach.”
This A-Frame is “quite tight” for space inside with a pull-down staircase to get to the upstairs bedroom, with a kitchen and living area downstairs, but a cabin was added to the side and is used as the main bedroom.
On the market for just $459,000 is a three-bedroom A-Frame at 36 Johnson Street, Milton, Clutha. Photo / Supplied
On for $975,000, the asking price is significantly more than the $610,000 RV but Jensen said that was because RVs on the island were out of touch and not reflective of actual value.
This A-Frame is on 905sq m and Jensen said Gooseberry Flat Beach was family friendly and one of the island’s nicest beaches.
His listing describes plentiful decking with a private outdoor shower, and an outside WC.
Jo Turner, of Cutlers, has another A-Frame in Clutha in Otago. This one was built in 1972 and is one of only two that she knows of in town.
On for $459,000, the three-bedroom, two-bathroom structure would have stood out in its day, she says.
Not everyone’s cup of tea, some people absolutely loved A-Frames and she was getting interest on this one.
A two-bedroom A-Frame at 16 Shannon Street, in Ohakune, Ruapehu. It has a $310,000 price tag. Photo / Supplied
A neighbouring A-Frame at 45D Goldfinch Street, is priced at $345,000. Photo / Supplied
Arranging furniture could be a challenge because of the sloping roofline but there was a lot of space – the kitchen even had a walk-in pantry.
Turner says she knew someone who had once owned the property and he was not short: “I said, ‘God, you'd hit your head on there,’ and he goes, ‘You only do it once.’”
In Ohakune, in the middle of the North Island near Mount Ruapehu, there are a number of small A-Frames on the market, most in the $310,000-$320,000 range.
Polly Ingles of Property Brokers is selling two of them with colleague Jenna Hovelle, one at 45D Goldfinch Street, the other at 16 Shannon Street.
Ingles said A-Frames were synonymous with mountain towns because of their practicality.
“If it does heavily snow it's not going to sit and be heavy on the actual roof line so A-Frames, or that kind of style of roofing, is in snowy areas all over the place. I think it's not an unusual design.”
An award-winning A-Frame in Queenstown. Photo / Cadyn Thomson, Imageworks
The property she is selling at 45d Goldfinch Street, on for $345,000, has a retro feel inside, a glimpse of Mount Ruapehu and is Healthy Homes compliant.
Out-of-towners tended to buy A-Frames, she said, which were a great option for skiers or people seeking other adventures on offer in the area, or people wanting them for Airbnb.
“They're gorgeous properties. I think it's a great sort of design for a chalet holiday home. They are lock up and leave and they're easy to look after.
“You really have to go into them to see them to appreciate how much more space inside there is than you think.”
Ohakune had a range of property options and while often thought of as a winter town Ingles said there was a lot to offer year-round.
“There's a new cycle track that's opened up and so it's a great place to come and it's right in the middle of the North Island so it's easy for lots of areas to come to. We get people from all over New Zealand - Hawkes Bay, Wellington, Auckland, Rotorua.”
Sometimes, A-Frames are award-winning – one in Queenstown took out the Master Builders National Supreme Renovation of the Year this year.
The Velvin Building’s restoration also won the National Builders Academy Renovation in the $1m-$2m category, with the judges praising its “intricate craftsmanship which honours its iconic setting against The Remarkables”.
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