One of Auckland’s most striking Grand Designs projects, a penthouse apartment in Ponsonby’s cool Vinegar Lane precinct, is for rent.
The three-bedroom penthouse apartment that featured in the show’s 2017 season, is now being let as a short-term executive rental, asking $1750 a week.
Owners Brendon Poole and Nikki Cliffe planned a four-storey complex where income from a second rental apartment, commercial and retail spaces would fund their dream home at the top of the building.
However, their luxury apartment is also rented out after the couple de-camped from the city to Muriwai.
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The budget for the apartment build by the Ponsonby structural engineer and marketing manager, as is almost mandatory for Grand Designs, escalated from $2.7 million to close to $6m, and took five years before they could move in. It includes a rooftop deck with its own swim-spa pool and outdoor kitchen and views across the suburb to the Sky Tower.
Their home was part of a master-planned development in Vinegar Lane, the former site of the DYC vinegar factory next to a new supermarket just off Ponsonby. Its design manual stipulated that different architects be used for adjoining sites – most measuring just 80sqm to 100sqm – to create a lively streetscape. The couple briefed Toa Architects, as the project timing blew out to almost five years.
Grand Designs host Chris Moller with owners Nikki Cliffe and Brendon Poole near the site of their Ponsonby development. Photo/ Three
At the time of filming, Cliffe told host, architect Chris Moller: “We can live in it, enjoy it, but also it’s a business. We've got all these other levels to help us pay for it,” adding that design was the key to making the compact development work.
During that time the couple had baby Cooper – who prompted the move out of the city. The escape-artist toddler figured out how to scale the roof terrace’s glass balustrade, in a heart stopping incident. He was safely rescued, but the couple decided to move to a safer beachside home out of the city.
The letting agent for the penthouse, Ray White’s Pim Pimpinid, said the high-end penthouse was aimed at executive renters, often on short-term corporate secondments from overseas. The listing has been advertised since early June, as the inflow of executives was only just picking up since New Zealand’s borders opened up in May, she said.
The luxury penthouse apartment in Vinegar Lane, Ponsonby, features a designer kitchen and high-end finishes . Photo / Supplied
“It’s a special target, perhaps people wanting a city foothold,” Pimpinid told OneRoof.
“There’s not much modern here, a lot of the houses in Ponsonby, Herne Bay and Grey Lynn are character villas. But this has all the tech, the views, it’s very modern and high-end.”
As well as all the tech sound, security and air conditioning (Wi-Fi is included in the rent), the property has two luxury bathrooms, a study and garaging for two cars, rare in the inner-city suburb. The luxury kitchen includes Gaggenau appliances, and there’s a second barbecue kitchen and fire on the rooftop, where the swim spa includes a treadmill and swim currents.
The bathroom in the Vinegar Lane penthouse apartment. Photo / Three
High-end renters have their pick of luxury properties at the moment, including a modern waterfront three-bedroom home with its own boatshed on Marine Parade, Herne Bay, asking $5000 per week rent. That property has a rating valuation of $10.8m and OneRoof records showed last changed hands 11 years ago for $5.2m.
The Remuera Road mansion that made the record books in 2018 when rich-listers Paula and Simon Herbert sold it to overseas buyers for the then suburb top price of $25.5m is also looking for tenants. The five-bedroom home, advertised with a swimming pool, tennis court, dance studio, sauna, sun bed, separate bar and game room, has been asking $4850 per week since early June.
A pair of four-bedroom waterfront homes on Takapuna are looking for $4500 rent per week, while a grandly renovated four-bedroom villa on Herne Bay’s Jervois Road is slightly more affordable at $4000 a week.
The New York-style loft in the former Farmers tearooms above the Heritage Hotel that featured in Grand Designs 2020 season is for sale. Photo / Supplied
Meantime, buyers could snaffle another $6m Grand Designs penthouse, this time from the 2020 season.
The 540sqm steel and brick New York loft-style apartment, built in the former heritage tearooms of Auckland’s Farmers department store at the top of the Heritage Hotel at 35 Hobson Street, reportedly cost owners Steve and Bridget Varney $6m to buy and refurbish. The scene of glittering balls and parties since the 1990s, the tearooms had more recently been headquarters for All Black squads, as well as home to America’s Cup teams.
Bayleys agent Andrew Wallace, who is marketing the property with Vicki and Gary Wallace, said enquiry has been phenomenal as a lot of people had seen the project through the show.
Earlier, Vicki Wallace told OneRoof: “Compared to the luxury new-build apartments selling around the city, this is incredible value. Somebody could create an amazing creative space for a live/work life or events. There’s nothing else like it,” she said.
