COVER PROPERTY
When Phillip and Kelly Evans built their new house they knew exactly what they wanted.
The couple had previously owned and renovated older houses, but often found that even after the renovations they could have the house fire cranked up on a cold day and still not get the house temperature over
20°C.
‘‘We were tired of old, cold houses and decided to build a warm new house,’’ Phillip explains. ‘‘We decided on a Golden Home and now, even on a cold day with no supplemental heating, the house temperature often sits at 23 degrees.’’
The couple wanted a large, warm, quiet house and enough land to raise livestock. They settled on a 0.72-hectare property at
272 Austin Road, Normanby.
Their four-bedroom, 252sqm executivestyle home would also suit a family. It sits in a lovely rural location surrounded by lifestyle blocks and farmland.
‘‘Our property is rural, but it’s close to town,’’ says Kelly. ‘‘As soon as we saw the property, we knew we had to build here. We lived on-site in a caravan for seven months until the build was finished. It’s an amazing location; on a clear day, we have a view that stretches across the farmland to Mount Taranaki. We also can’t be built out.’’
The house catches the all-day sun. Phillip and Kelly soon noticed the house’s natural warmth when arriving home after work on cold days. The couple had upgraded the double-glazing, installed R5-grade insulation in the roof and heavier-grade plaster board. The steel frame is wrapped, which also enhances the insulation. A ducted heat-transfer system helps warm the entire house.
‘‘When we get home in the evening, we just shut the blinds to retain the heat; we don’t often light the lounge’s wood stove,’’ Phillip says. ‘‘We light the fire when it’s chilly outside, but usually turn it down after an hour because it gets too hot.’’
The open-plan style is ideal for entertaining. Both lounges open onto the patio through stacker sliding doors that allow a lovely cooling breeze into the house on hot summer days. The second lounge can be closed off if needed, and is the ideal spot for the kids to hang out, but still be close-by for parents to keep a wary eye on them.
The kitchen has plenty of storage behind its soft-close doors and drawers. It features wide gunmetal-grey stone benches, lustrous, ebony-coloured, brick-shaped tiles on the wall
behind the stove, and a stainless-steel rangehood above it.
Anybody working in the kitchen is rewarded with a sumptuous view over the surrounding farmland. Alternatively, the main lounge has a wall-mounted television that faces the kitchen allowing whoever is in the kitchen to watch television as they work. The kitchen was custom-built to allow for the depth of the Evans’ large double fridge.
A large scullery is the kitchen’s jewel in the crown. It has plumbing installed in case a sink is required at a later stage. There is copious storage and bench space and space for an upright fridge or freezer.
‘‘The scullery has been great; I don’t know how I lived without one,’’ Kelly says. ‘‘There’s a massive amount of storage that allows me to keep the kitchen uncluttered.’’
Phillip acknowledges the advantage of that space. ‘‘If visitors unexpectedly arrive, we can always push everything in there and close the door on it; just like a kid cleaning their bedroom,’’ he jokes.
The home provides four bedrooms, two bathrooms (including the master-bedroom ensuite) and a separate toilet.
The huge 5mx4.5m master bedroom has a correspondingly large ensuite and a massive walk-in wardrobe with a copious amount of fitted cabinetry. There’s also a sliding glass door that opens onto a patio with a wonderful view of Mount Taranaki and the surrounding farmland.
Both bathrooms have vanities that are a generous 1200mm in length, and roomy 1m-by-1m showers. The bathroom has a luxuriously deep bath and the home’s Infinity gas water heater ensures that there’s always plenty of hot water to fill it.
Each bedroom has a double wardrobe and the rooms are large enough to house a double bed. Each bedroom is wired for a television and the availability of four bedrooms opens up the possibility of using one as a kid’s play room or a home office.
The hallway holds two double storage cupboards.
The house is framed by flat, lush green farmland. Phillip and Kelly have enhanced the setting by planting native Griselinia littoralis (broadleaf) hedges and adding fencing. They have also laid a limestone chip front garden, put in raised vegetable garden beds, and started an orchard.
‘‘We built a seven-wire-and-batten fence and were going to carry that fence entirely around to allow more grazing,’’ Phillip says. ‘‘But when we decided to put the property on the market we decided to wait and allow the purchaser to make whatever decision that suits their lifestyle. They may want to put a large garden in, fence it for stock, or leave it as lawn.’’
A 30,000-litre water tank with a water filter and UV purification system provides water to the property, and a farm-sized water pump and pressure tank ensures that there is plenty of pressure.
A newly erected 12mx7.5m shed provides the ultimate in secure storage. It features a 3m-high door, 3.5m pitched roof and a concrete floor. It’s the perfect place to store a boat, campervan, caravan, or other vehicle storage.
‘‘This property would be great for a retired person who wants some land, but also has a campervan or caravan,’’ suggests Phillip. ‘‘The shed can be securely locked up and the house and section are very low maintenance.
‘‘It would also be perfect for a horse owner, or to maybe raise a few calves. You’ll never get a vehicle stuck here. The farm track is built of 1m-deep gravel and the concrete driveway entrance is 125mm thick to stop it being cracked by heavy vehicles.’’
There is minimal road noise since the Normanby bypass was built, he says. Most of the traffic is just local farmers going about their business.
For less than the price of a very basic home in many big cities, you can have a rural lifestyle in a warm, modern, two-year-old house, and still only be a short five-minute drive from town.
Phillip sums up the appeal of living here. ‘‘I love sitting here with a coffee in the morning and looking out at the mountain when it’s covered in winter snow and the paddocks are coated in frost. It’s always so still; I love just sitting there taking in the peace and quiet.’’