Anchor yourself in Houghton Bay
ENDERS CLOSE on February 15 for an extraordinary Houghton Bay home that was built to maximise its beachside lifestyle.
The four-bedroom house, at 211 Houghton Bay Rd, is on a 424-squaremetre section elevated for superb sun and views of Houghton Bay and Cook Strait.
The site adjoins bush reserve and has been landscaped for private indooroutdoor living, complete with a fenced flat lawn area, extensive decking and a spa pool.
The 273sqm house has a marinegrade Colorsteel roof, double-glazing, and extra thick walls with double the insulation.
It was built about 10 years ago and incorporates many nautical elements, including a front door with armour-plated glass portholes and 50-millimetre steam turbine lenses.
The portholes and lenses, external lighting, storeroom timber racking and the inlaid copper strips in the kitchen’s breakfast bar were sourced from two ships: the Manuia (which was the Venture II in Peter Jackson’s King Kong re-make) and the decommissioned frigate HMNZS Wellington that in 2005 was sunk off Houghton Bay.
“The house was designed along ‘big bach’ principles, so everything’s thick and chunky,” vendor Alan Scott says.
“This makes it a beautiful home to live in – warm and solid – and we love all the little nautical details.
“And because you can sit on the deck and see the sea, it’s like coming home to a holiday destination while still being close to the city.”
The front door of the two-storey home opens into a spacious foyer with stunning rosewood floors and a swamp kauri staircase.
The first of the living areas – a large lounge, games or media room – is to the right. It has a heat pump and opens to courtyard and lawn, as does the adjoining main bedroom with its ensuite.
Also on this level are a separate laundry, separate toilet and internal access from the double garage (there’s also off-street parking for three cars).
Two of the three double-bedrooms on the upper-level open to a covered northfacing deck while the open-plan kitchen and living/dining areas open to a kwila deck that links to the lower lawn.
The living/dining areas have high glazing, two ceiling fans and a heat pump, and the kitchen includes an Ilve oven, refrigerator-freezer, dishwasher, rangehood and matai breakfast bar with inlaid copper strips.
The main bathroom has a two-person spa bath, shower cabinet, vanity and toilet, and there’s a third heat pump on the landing.
“This is a fantastic home for family living or entertaining,” Craig Lowe, of Lowe & Co Realty, says.
“The quality of construction and attention to detail are amazing, and you’re only minutes from both Houghton Bay and Princess Bay beaches, as well as being on the sunny side of Houghton Bay.” 211 Houghton Bay Rd, Houghton Bay.