BACH TO THE FUTURE
Innovative layout and modern materials give this house an ageless look, writes LEIGH BRAMWELL
MAHURANGI WEST Lot 2,/134 Mahurangi West Road 4 2 2
Most of the people who visit the house at 134 Mahurangi West Road and ask how recently it was completed are astonished by the answer.
It’s not just the pristine state of the property, but the innovative design and use of modern materials that disguise its true age.
It’s unusual to find tilt-up slab walls, schist fireplaces, polished concrete floors and curved, listello tiled bathroom walls in a house built 23 years ago, and all of these elements are features of the original design as opposed to a recent renovation.
Now for sale by negotiation, the house was built by the land owner in 1996 as a holiday home, and that is how it has always been used.
Paul Fearon bought it as part of a land parcel for property development, and was as surprised as everyone else by its style.
It was designed by the owner’s architect daughter, Belinda George, and it could have been built yesterday, says Paul, who moved in with his family just a few months ago .
“She was well ahead of her time,” he says. Designed to maximise its north facing position on 1.3 hectares, the house consists of a living pavilion and a sleeping 'bunker' nestled into the hillside.
The living spaces are fronted with floor-to-ceiling doors and windows and timber cladding and this is picked up in interior detailing.
Inside it is paired with schist feature walls, white-painted sarked ceilings, totara beams that were milled off the original farm property, and heated polished concrete floors.
“The living area is really lovely, to be in,” Paul says. “It’s a big, open space with a fireplace and it makes this a very social home.”
The bedroom bunker is built of pre-cast tilt-up concrete slabs which provide a raw concrete finish inside, softened by plush carpet in the bedrooms and contrasted with vibrant coloured tiles in the bathrooms.
The master bedroom has glass-to-glass right around one corner. “The sun comes up on the eastern side so it’s a great space to wake up in,” Paul says.
It includes a walk-in wardrobe and a generous ensuite tiled in jewel blue, with a glass shower and twin sinks. There is also a family bathroom, a powder room, spacious study and separate laundry. All the bedrooms have rural views.
Although some renovations were required, Paul was determined to be respectful of Belinda’s ideas, so there were no major changes. The house has been given a new kitchen, laundry and ensuite, and some general TLC.
The pie` ce de re´ sistance is the revamped deck which references the home’s life as a holiday house. The decking is on several levels and embraces the pool and spa, and has schist walls creating some visual separation from the parking area, an outdoor fireplace and well planned ambient outdoor lighting.
Timber planter boxes and container plants give the area an established feel. There’s plenty of room for outdoor dining and socialising while enjoying rural views with a peep of sea. Sale: Price by negotiation
Contact: Jenni Finlayson, Bayleys, 021 506 920