A streamlined design
Dream becomes reality as a stream runs through it.
it could hold all water events, including a 100year flood, thereby eliminating any risk to our home. Before the excavations began, a dam had to be built and the water diverted to allow us to work in the stream and avoid sediment runoff. Once in place, the magic could begin.
Watching our contractors sculpt this new channel was like observing artists at work, as the arms of their diggers became an extension of themselves, gently shaping the new banks around the contours of the land to create an awesome, natural watercourse. I finally slept well that night.
A few days later we began our own labour consent we had engaged landscape architecture firm Verdant Green to create a landscaping and planting plan. Owner Lance Millward came up with a brilliant design that followed best practice riparian planting techniques, beginning with the recommendation that we line the stream with rocks. From a functional point of view this was to help control the flow and minimise erosion, however for Kylie and me, the rocks were a key aesthetic detail.
We wanted natural-looking rocks but all we could find in Auckland was quarry-blasted rip-rap which was too dark and full of harsh edges. Then after hours of research I discovered Mangatangi River Rocks on the Firth of Thames and its uncrushed river rocks. We loved their shape and beautiful autumnal colours so promptly had 10 tonnes delivered to the site. Then Kylie and I, with the help of her parents and brother, placed every single rock, piece by piece, into the stream. A mammoth effort.
Over many weeks Kylie and I headed back to the quarry to get trailer loads of larger feature rocks, then spent the weekends putting them in place and pottering away on the section. We also called in our landscaper Lance to make everything look as natural as possible. He did an amazing job securing logs to the banks, planting behind them, putting boulders in all the right places and digging gabion baskets into the stream bed to create little pools and control the water flow. Then finally we were ready to release the dam.
It was a magic moment as we watched the water run through the rocks and fill the pools for the first time. Within minutes we had in front of us a stunning and justifiably grand water feature that exceeded the vision we’d had in our heads for so long.
Find out more about Ben and Kylie’s dream home at ourdreamhome.co.nz