‘Cliffhanger’ house an adventure for owners
When Wellington builder Adam Pierson and his wife, Alicia, decided to build a home of their own, they wanted a challenge.
‘‘Finding the land was probably the hardest part of it,’’ says Pierson, who chose a steep corner section on a craggy outcrop of stone, overlooking Evans Bay, Kilbirnie, and the south coast.
Pierson had worked with Patchwork Architecture on a number of projects (the company’s founders call him their ‘‘go to builder’’) so it was natural he should choose them to create the couple’s capital retreat.
‘‘The great thing about interesting contours is that it makes for interesting design.’’
Interesting, and award-winning design, in fact.
The so-called 10x10 home, built by Pierson and designed by Patchwork’s Ben Mitchell-Anyon and Sally Ogle in 2019, would go on to win Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects’ House Award in the 2020 Wellington Architecture Awards.
Perched on the edge of the hill, the awards jury called it an ‘‘adventurous’’ build that proves steep Wellington hills are no barrier to a great home.
‘‘We were trying to have fun and build something worth building. In terms of the house, we were trying to make something that fitted our needs,’’ Pierson says.
‘‘We gave the architects a brief, but it wasn’t too restrictive because we knew how good they were. They went to town and came up with awesome.’’
A stunning, three bed family home, it has a touch of the modernist classic Farnsworth House about it with its floor to ceiling windows that make the absolute most of panoramic views over the capital’s eastern suburbs.
And if that view isn’t enough, there’s a roof terrace – complete with bus-stop style shelter – that lets you see even further.
‘‘One of the awesome things about building the house is you don’t know what the view is going to be like till you get up there.
‘‘Standing up at that height looking out, we can see the top of the Tararuas, we can see the harbour, a bit of Cook Strait.’’
It more than makes up for the compact garden, and steep steps up to the house from the street level garage.
While the section is 282sqm, and the home 115sqm, ‘‘it’s not a small house, but everything is quite close on the main level’’.
‘‘The rooms are all accessed off a central space at the top of the stairs, so it’s easy to live in because it’s been so carefully designed. It’s probably one of the best laid-out houses I’ve ever been in.’’
The chic, mid-century sensibilities continue inside the home, with builtin furniture, and the use of small, uniform tiles in different shades in the kitchen and bathrooms.
After almost three years in the home, it’s time for the Piersons to move on. But they do so with some regret.
‘‘It’s a house that we built together, so it’s something that we will miss because it was a great experience doing it. I’ve loved living here.’’