An off-grid home understood to be the only one of its kind in Tauranga City had people clogging up the neighbouring roads just to view it.
The open home for the unique property on Ridge Street, in Otumoetai, was only meant to run for 30 minutes last Sunday.
But Trueman & Co listing agent Lisa Zawitkoski finally locked up the elegant property an hour and a half later due to the large number of people who arrived to view it.
“The streets were just lined with people,” she said.
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“I had 20 groups through the first open home. There were just groups everywhere.”
Zawitkoski said it was one of the busiest open homes she was aware of in the city for a long time and she put this down to its uniqueness and being off-grid.
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“Since Covid, I think people are looking at alternative ways of living. I really think that is the case. Also, financially I think people are looking at ways to save money because it’s tough out there for a lot of families so I also think that’s part of it.”
Off-grid properties usually turned up in lifestyle areas such as Oropi or the Western Bay of Plenty – not in central Otumoetai, she said.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s one of the only ones [in the city]. I don’t know how many others there are, but I would say there wouldn’t be very many.”
The three-bedroom, one-bathroom home was built as a forever home in 2017 by a couple with four children.
The Ridge Street home built in 2017 is off-grid and eco-friendly. Photo / Supplied
The impressive forest garden was designed and planted by Byron from Backyard Paradise. Photo / Supplied
Zawitkoski said the original owners had taken a lot of care in choosing eco-friendly materials including Douglas fir for the framing and Lawsoniana for the cladding. Wool insulation and untreated plywood coated with linseed oil was used for the interior walls, while the timber flooring and joinery was recycled and the joinery retrofitted with double glazing.
Solar panels, a high-spec battery bank and a wood burner could also result in significant cost savings of around $300 to $400 a month for the new owner, she added,
Zawitkoski lives near the property and recalled the whole family being involved in the build process.
“The twin girls were down there with little paint brushes painting the cladding with pine tar. It was really a labour of love for them and it was going to be their forever home.”
They intentionally designed the home so the living area was larger and the bedrooms were smaller so that the children wouldn’t hide away in their homes, she said. The upstairs loft provided another “chill-out space” or could be used as a yoga room or office. There was also a sleepout.
“They wanted that real sense of family and interaction so that’s why the bedrooms are intentionally smaller.”
The bedrooms were designed to be small and the living area big so the children wouldn't hide away in their rooms. Photo / Supplied
However, when an opportunity came up for the couple to run an orphanage in India they grabbed at the chance. The house was eventually sold in 2022 after they decided to move there permanently.
The current owners, who are also a young family, paid $878,000 for the property in December 2022. They have made it even more self-sufficient by commissioning Byron from Backyard Paradise to design and install an impressive food forest.
“It’s just incredible how well it grows and it’s obviously all organic.”
However, the current owners want to pursue a new opportunity so have put the property back on the market.
Zawitkoski said there had already been a lot of interest in the property from people in their 30s and 40s with young families who already lived locally.
“You know what I think people love about it, it’s a lot of land [2471sqm], it’s centrally located, it’s a bit different and I also think with the rising cost of power that’s really appealing for a lot of people.”
It was also walking distance to Otumoetai Primary, Otumoetai Intermediate and Otumoetai College and several shopping centres. The waterfront walkways are also nearby.
The property has an RV of $800,000, but Zawitkoski said early price feedback was above what it sold for two years ago.
- 116 Ridge Street, Otumoetai, Bay of Plenty, is being sold by set sale.
