Bach still a beauty
Cyclones and rude people are just some of the things the owners of this Grand Designs beach house have had to deal with in the past two years.
The project, by Wellington architect Guy Marriage, cousin Briony Ellis and her husband Roger Wood, was one of the best we’ve seen on Grand Designs NZ. And that’s due to the minimal budget, the home-grown Kiwi bach build helped by neighbour Johnny, and the stunning location – just above the high tide mark.
We even saw a wild storm and a sea surge wash much of the beach right up to house, but the stilts worked to keep the house high and dry. But how has the family bach fared since the build?
Not surprisingly, they’ve had to weather a cyclone. ‘‘We almost lost the old red shed in Cyclone Gita,’’ says Guy. ‘‘We did lose a power pole, part of the front path, and a decent chunk of our seawall in Gita, but the house was untouched and sailed right through.’’ (Guy admits he slept through the whole thing).
‘‘We had great fun rebuilding the sea wall near the stream with a sort of handcrafted peasant feel, made from old sea-washed boulders and concrete – very rustic, and much better than before.’’
But Guy says the family should have been more secretive about the location.
‘‘We’ve had a lot of what we call GD Tourism. We can spy them half a beach away – people sidling over, slightly embarrassed, really wanting to have a chat to us or our neighbour Johnny, about having seen us on TV.
‘‘We don’t mind at all, except for the lady who told me that I looked even fatter in real life than I did on the telly. Thanks love, you’re pretty gorgeous too!’’
The family says there was a mighty push to get everything done in time for the final reveal. ‘‘I kind of wish we could have taken our time a bit more. We might still be working on it now, but would that be such a bad thing? We all love the process of building and would love to do it all again. Maybe some of us more than others . . .
‘‘We would quite like to add on another wing, but we’ve run out of flat land. Our only choice then is skywards!’’
Since the programme, the family has finished the bathrooms and installed a wardrobe, but otherwise it is pretty much as it was when last shown on Grand Designs. ‘‘We didn’t want to bust our budget back then, and nor do we want to bust the budget now.’’
‘‘We designed and built the house to be easy to care for, easy to live in, and easy to love,’’ says Guy. ‘‘We’re proud to say that we think that it has succeeded on all fronts. What’s our favourite? Easy: the kitchen bench window, opening out onto the deck. Or the bedroom at the top of the tower – seems to be a bit of a favourite with visitors too. And the ClickRaft ceiling is always a favourite.
‘‘Throwing the ball to the dog from the front deck with a beer in hand is definitely Rog’s favourite. ’’