‘It’s so close to everything’

Location was the key to the redevelopment of this property at 73 Hine St in New Plymouth.

Phil and Deb bought the property with a vision in mind. “There was an old 1910 villa here and we bought it with a view to moving the house off and building a new one,” Deb says.

The address made the Hine St project particularly attractive. “It’s so close to everything,” Phil explains. “Just minutes to walk into town ... to work, for tea, or to do some shopping.”

The cafe attractions at the port are almost as close using the advantage of the Coastal Walkway, but the seafront appeal starts much closer to their home. “We regularly walk down to the Kawaroa pools for a swim and walk back.”

That experience is also appreciated by family, Deb adds. “A lot of the time when our grandchildren visit, we go down to the Kawaroa playground, or to the pools for a swim.”

Deb and Phil contracted Jennian Homes in 2017 to create a one-off home to suit this site.

The narrow frontage on Hine St and 40m depth of the section dictated the long narrow shape of the home, but a clever design has given them a spacious 229sqm basement-garage home with a sunny northely orientation.

It’s a contemporary presentation. Stacked concrete blocks form the basement, front boundary wall, and side retaining walls, with white plaster finishes to much of the home’s exterior beneath its monopitch roof. The warmth of cedar on the front door, automatic garage door, and along the outside living area upstairs is a pleasing contrast to that simplicity.

The house was built back from the front boundary to provide handy off-street parking for Phil and Deb’s boat, or for extra cars - although they also planned the garage big enough to accommodate the boat.

Contemporary appeal continues inside the home. A video panel at the door can trigger remote entry and the following step into the foyer reveals a light and airy welcome with the warmth of a washed-oak timber finish underfoot. The glass cubicle in the corner is the lift and the simple press of a button produces a smooth and effortless rise to the living areas.

Having just a lift as sole access between the home’s levels was a practical and convenient choice, Phil says. Landscaped steps up the side of the house do connect the driveway and the outdoor living space as an alternative access, but the convenience of the lift means they are rarely used. “The lift made our lives much easier than stairs,” Phil points out. “And there’s no risk of tripping or falling.”

The lift stops inside a minimalist glass balustrade to the side of the living areas here at the front of the house.

The kitchen is located across the back of the open living area - also floored in that washed-oak finish, with dining and lounge spaces in front of the stacker doors either side of the central Escea gas fireplace. The doors open out to the sunny balcony across the northern face of the home from which you can get a glimpse of the sea through the pohutukawa trees along the seafront.

Guests often gather around the kitchen’s island bench - topped with an impressive 4m of pale-grey engineered-stone with waterfall ends. The rear bench is stainless steel and carries the wide five-burner gas hob, while a pair of wall ovens are set into the adjacent cabinet and a triple pantry cupboard offers generous storage at the other end.

The family bathroom and separate toilet, and three double bedrooms are located along the hallway behind the living areas. Each of the bedrooms, including the master at the end with its ensuite and walk-in wardrobe, has sliding doors opening out to the timber deck and paved outdoor living area that provides sheltered entertaining away from the road. There are also sliding doors at the back of the lounge space to access the outdoor area.

The design has worked well for Phil and

Deb. “It’s an easy house to live in,” Deb says.

There’s more to this property than just the house and its location - the couple removed most of an old shed on the raised and landscaped rear of the section, keeping just the back concrete-block wall as a feature of a new flexible 3m-by-4m studio that provides a work-from-home option for Phil, or could be a hobby room or sleepout for new owners.

The studio complements a built-in office nook in the home’s middle bedroom and allows two people to work from home.