Full of charm and views
An exclusive development of four apartments features elevated views and are designed with a strong eye on quality, discovers Sandra Goodwin
The couple who have owned the old house just above St Heliers Bay village for 23 years say they feel morally obliged to make the exclusive development they’re doing onsite beautiful. Tony and Jane Simmons say ‘Saints’ will have four apartments, each enjoying sweeping views across the harbour.
Three will sell off the plans, the fourth, the penthouse, will be theirs.
Jane says: “I want to drive up the hill and feel proud of it. I believe it will be something beautiful for the bay.”
Tony says: “We have an emotional attachment to this land. It’s where we raised our four daughters and we feel a responsibility to our neighbours to create something sympathetic to this neighbourhood where we’ve lived for so long.”
Views will take in the harbour, Rangitoto, Browns Island, North Head and the city, plus a wealth of neighbourhood and sea activity.
They have resource consent for the project, on the corner of St Heliers Bay Rd and Benbow St, and expect building consent to be issued early next year.
Simon Pirie Architects has designed Saints and it will be built by Frontline Projects, the project managers on the Chrisco house in Coatesville, commonly known as the Dotcom Mansion for its former tenant.
Frontline were also involved in Russian steel magnate Alexander Abramov’s $65-million-plus Northland luxury lodge, Helena Bay.
The Simmons have spent decades renovating and re-selling properties, sometimes subdividing and adding a second dwelling.
Tony says: “But here it’s really more about the excellent team we’ve put together.”
They know from living in the house onsite, which pre-1950s housed a doctor and his consulting rooms, how well-located Saints will be.
Jane says: “You can walk to everything you need so close by in the village — restaurants, doctors, dentists, even X-rays now, and it’s 10 minutes’ drive to the CBD.”
A three-storey tower onsite showcases what views will be like from the three apartments Tony and Jane are selling.
Even the ground floor unit has far-reaching views, including the harbour. The views ramp up to a spectacular outlook from the second level.
The three apartments each have particular charms.
The three-bedroom one on the ground floor is priced at $5.5 million-plus and gets exclusive lawn and outdoor patios.
The four-bedroom apartment on the first floor is priced at $6.5m-plus and gets nearly 77sq m of elevated terracing, which Tony says exceeds the floor space of two double garages.
There is no price yet on the four-bedroom apartment on the second floor.
Given its breathtaking views, Tony and Jane are seeking response from the market as a price guide.
Saints’ primary structure will be reinforced concrete, reinforced masonry and steel, its external claddings over a cavity including autoclaved aerated concrete, aluminium and textured stone.
Jane says: “It’s designed to look like a little waterfall when rain runs down the textured stone.”
The three apartments each come with parking for three cars in the basement, plus storage off Benbow St, where access to each apartment is via a common lift. Parking for the penthouse is off St Heliers Bay Rd.
All the apartments are designed for sun and warmth, with open-plan dining-living and kitchens with sculleries. Second lounges can be integrated or closed off.
The first and second-floor apartments will have enclosed wintergarden-loggias at the front with glass panels on two sides able to be folded open.
Interiors, with ducted heating-cooling and bathrooms with en suites, aim to offer the amenities, spaciousness and storage owners of large homes are accustomed to.
The display suite onsite showcases interior design colourways, at this stage customisable.
The Simmons plan to start building Saints early in 2019 and to finish in 2021.