TWICE THE VIBE
A bach makes way for an elegant beach home — without leaving the gate, writes ROBYN WELSH
Originally painted yellow, this 1950s refurbished bach is continuing its tradition of a life well lived overlooking Tindalls Bay on the Whangaparaoa Peninsula.
Much has changed since then, both around the neighbourhood and within the boundaries of this elevated 809sq m site.
The house movers shifted the bach to the front of the site, and builders constructed a family home in its place.
A large carport sits between the two houses. Both have been designed and finished to present an integrated face to the world. The two-bedroom, onebathroom bach is technically a “legal minor dwelling” and has lived a variety of lives since Tony Clendon and his wife Petrina Maxwell bought the property in June 2011.
At one point Petrina ran her events management company from here. On another occasion, Tony’s yachting industry brother was on a six-month work contract from his base in Italy and lived here. It has also nurtured a broken-hearted tenant recovering from a marriage split.
Tony was committed to keeping the “cute” bach while bringing the double project to life. He designed the family home based partly on his former Coromandel bach at Whiritoa and a building kitset he liked.
“We wanted this house to sit between being a family home and being like a bach, so it feels as if we’re on holiday until I head back to work in the car. We got that right,” says Tony, who works in building industry sales.
He repeated the weatherboard form of the bach around the deck of the boardand-batten main house to relate the two structures.
He kept the original rimu flooring in the bach but opted for blonded tones underfoot throughout the house, where the master bedroom and living area both open to decks.
Elsewhere, Tony and Petrina have installed louvres for privacy and to filter light and wind. For the kitchen, former cabinetmaker Tony sourced painted boards from a demolition yard and sanded them back to reveal just enough old paint for a modern touch.
This place that is home to the couple and their 11-year-old son George has also hosted a wedding and parties with as many as 80 guests. “We cleared the lounge — that’s 50sq m — and everyone spread out to the deck, that’s 100sq m. It was great,” says Tony.
Ray White agent Sharon Maxwell (no relation) describes the property as “a true resortstyle paradise”.
Tony and Petrina hope to create something similar at their next destination.
Sale: By negotiation.
Contact: Sharon Maxwell, Ray White, 021 544 153
”We wanted this house to sit between being a family home and being like a bach.”