A cocktail on the deck
My favourite space With a ‘‘front lawn’’ of ocean, what’s not to enjoy from this sunny cocktail lounge?
Antony Michalik and Kim Wallace have taken to carrying photos of their Tauranga home on their mobiles to dispel confusion.
Friends coming to visit for the first time have been known to presume they may be roughing it; after all, Michalik and Wallace’s retreat is a boat shed. Photos, courtesy of those smartphones, cast out any such misconceptions; life in this boat shed is about luxurious, laid-back living.
‘‘It’s not quite a shed with a dinghy,’’ Michalik says. Captured in those shots is the couple’s 8.5m boat, which resides downstairs, clearly visible from the upstairs living area. A push of the button on board the boat and up goes the 6.5m roller door. Another button fires up the winch cradle that lowers the boat down the slipway into the water. Push it again and the cradle retracts, Michalik says.
The living is easy at this transformed property hugging Tauranga harbour. Not so easy, however, was the process of transforming the boat shed into a contemporary abode.
‘‘Our original plan was to build inside the existing shed, but we ended up having to demolish it to recreate the foundations. These needed to be stronger, given the shed was to become a residential dwelling,’’ Michalik says.
But the finished building remains authentic in appearance, with its cladding of grey steel and its roller garage doors facing the water. There’s little hint of the sleek interior beyond and the architectural points of interest, such as the glass wall that divides the apartment from the shed.
The whole downstairs is an open space, with the boat taking up one-third of the footprint. The remainder is like an inside deck, complete with pizza oven, barbecue, and fish-cleaning bench. ‘‘People often say it’s amazing how close to the water we are,’’ Wallace says. ‘‘At high tide the water is lapping under our feet.’’
When did you decide you wanted to live here?
Years ago we were wandering on a sunny Sunday and discovered this little walkway down a steep path to a little beach we didn’t know existed. Then, two or three years later, we randomly discovered that the site with the wrecked boat shed and a house was for sale. We recognised that living there, right on the water, was a once-in a-lifetime opportunity. So we took the plunge.
What was your vision for this space?
The No 1 consideration was that the interior had to be designed around Antony’s ideal boat.
What were some challenges of the project?
The resource consent process took five years. Consent constraints dictated we had to stay within the shed’s exact building envelope and the exterior colour had to remain similar. Any living had to be a certain height above the waterline, which ruled out the ground floor.
What was the best money you spent?
The glass wall separating the living area from the boat shed area was a large expense, but well worth it. It opens up the space and it’s obvious we’re in a boat shed, but it also closes us into a luxury apartment.
What’s your favourite part of this space?
Sitting on the ‘‘cocktail deck’’ with the doors open, the water lapping up to the shed, mullet jumping just off the beach and a glass of wine in hand.
Give homemade jams & jellies
Make small batches of jam and decorate the jars for a handy supply of standby gifts for unexpected guests. Bring 1kg of cherries, strawberries, or raspberries to the boil – add a little water to stop them sticking – then add 1kg of jam-setting sugar (available in supermarkets). Stir until the sugar has dissolved, then boil hard for 5 minutes. Take off the heat, stir in 1 tablespoon of brandy, berry vodka, or kirsch (this intensifies the flavour), then pour into warm, clean jars and seal.
Stake and water new fruit trees
It’s easy to neglect new fruit trees if you’ve planted them a fair distance from your house. Out of sight, out of mind. But fruit trees, especially those planted in winter as bare-root trees, need regular irrigation to get them through their first summer. Water at least twice a week, aiming for 10 litres a
Plant chives
They’re easy to grow, easy to harvest, and easy on the taste buds, plus their mild onion flavour livens up baked spuds, cheese muffins, and cream cheese sandwiches. Even their pretty pink flowers are edible so scatter the delicately flavoured florets in your salads or use to flavour herb vinegars. Chives require almost no attention once established, other than water when conditions are dry. Provide a little shade during long, hot summers or plants may become stressed and get attacked by black aphids.
Squash and stomp
The green vege bugs are back and breeding. You’ve got to keep on top of these sap-suckers (ditto aphids) as not only do they drain the life out of beans and tomatoes, they can spread disease. Squash them by hand. It’s very effective (and quite satisfying) for keeping the numbers down early in the season. Keep slugs and snails in check too. The best time to catch them in the act is on a wet night.