- A Roger Walker-designed home in Lower Hutt sold within days of hitting the market.
- The buyers were the first to view the five-bedroom "castle" on Stokes Valley Road.
- Vendor LJ Shaw praised agent Annette Sliper for the quick sale before Christmas.
A striking home designed by architecture guru Roger Walker sold within days of hitting the market.
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Vendor LJ Shaw told OneRoof that the buyers were instantly smitten. “They just fell in love with it,” she said.
Shaw said she knew how they felt. When she first saw the five-bedroom home on Stokes Valley Road, in Lower Hutt, she thought she had won Lotto.
Like other Walker creations, the house is a modern take on a medieval castle. It sports triangular rooflines, a turret, circular windows, and some unusual flourishes inside.
The home, designed by Walker for his head builder Colin Parker, had unique features including a circular archway and plaster koru art built into the lounge wall. Photo / Supplied
First-time visitors to the property would get lost in the five-level home. Photo / Supplied
“When we saw the home, it felt like we were looking at a piece of art, rather than a house,” Shaw told OneRoof last month.
The property, known as Parker House, had only been on the market for a couple of days in December when Shaw's agent received a conditional offer. The deal went unconditional before Christmas and settles this month.
Shaw said she and husband Peter Tompson had been “gobsmacked” by how quickly it sold. Viewings had been by appointment only and the first and only people to view it bought it.
“I think people need to understand it comes down to more than price sometimes,” she said.
“You can’t just buy a house like this and live in it like a cookie-cutter suburban new build. You put your heart and soul into places like this and they keep giving you a return on it.”
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The sale price has not yet been publicly disclosed, but the property has an RV of $880,000.
Parker House was designed by Walker and built by his head builder, Colin Parker, who lived there for more than 40 years before selling it to Shaw and Tompson.
Parker spent his weekends and evenings building the artistic home, which had numerous stand-out features including a circular archway and plaster koru art built into the lounge wall.
Shaw said she would miss her "castle" a lot.
“We’ve owned a castle, we’ve lived in a castle. We’ve had some fantastic costume parties here… and it’s time for a family to enjoy it now,” she said.
Shaw and Tompson plan to rent before deciding on their next move, which is likely to be in the South Island, closer to their family.
Roger Walker's own home on Grant Road, in Thorndon, is also for sale and inviting buyer equiry over $1.599m. Photo / Supplied
Shaw credited Ray White agent Annette Sliper for getting the deal done so quickly. It was also a bit of a lesson for buyers. “You snooze, you lose,” she said, adding: “It was done and dusted before Christmas.”
Walker designed 500 homes in his long and distinguished career.
His own home, at 75 Grant Road, in Thorndon, Wellington, is on the market and seeking buyer enquiries over $1.595m.
The listing for the pink and green Wellington castle describes it as an “extraordinary opportunity to own a unique piece of Wellington’s architectural history”.
Walker told OneRoof last year that it was the only house he had ever built for himself and also his favourite.
His late wife Elizabeth gave him free rein on the design with the exception of the kitchen. “It was a great opportunity to express myself. I was wearing the client hat and only had to listen to myself,” he said.
Tommy’s listing agent Alexia Stoddart said it was an interesting property and incredibly spacious.
“It’s a social home,” she said.
“It’s got underfloor heating down the bottom, it’s got floor-to-ceiling windows. The light in the place is incredible. The kitchen is massive and it has a big dining room that flows out onto a deck. The lounge is massive with another big balcony off it.”
Stoddart said Walker had a huge following and a lot of people who had gone through the open homes were fans.
“We ran open homes and everybody that came through the door was like, 'Look I’m just being nosey because I follow Roger Walker’s work and I can’t believe I’m getting to see his home.'”
Stoddart had sold other Walker-designed homes and said they always attracted interest. “People do love a good Roger Walker home.”
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