'Most unique' property going under the hammer

The expansive home comprises five bedrooms, four livings areas, a study, three bathrooms, as well as a one-car garage and swimming pool. Photo: Open2view

A unique and timeless Waikato home featuring 1000 tonnes of marble surfaces, a waterfall, and an eye-catching copper dome is going under the hammer.

The Twin Oaks Drive property is located on a lifestyle block in Tamahere, 10 minutes south of Hamilton, and has been described by Harcourts marketing agent Aaron Davey as the "most unique" property he has even seen in the Waikato due to all the handcrafted features.

The expansive home comprises five bedrooms, four livings areas, a study, three bathrooms, as well as a one-car garage and swimming pool. There is also another 400sq metres of covered decking area.

The Twin Oaks Drive property is located on a lifestyle block in Tamahere. Photo: Open2view

The owner, who asked not to be named, drew on his Greek heritage to build the 650sq m home with more than 300 tonnes of imported materials because he wanted to build a timeless masterpiece that would not be reflective of a certain era due to the standard materials used.

"I wanted to build a proper house rather than a Gib house ... I have a real aversion to being able to walk into a house and identifying where the materials are sourced and that seems to be very typically New Zealand.

"Most of the builders in New Zealand use a kitset method of building their homes," he said. "I wanted to build a house that was pretty timeless and there was no way to look at the house and be able to date it so, for example, we carved and cast all our own cove throughout the house."

Almost everything is bespoke, including the walls which are made from seven layers of lime and American clay finished with bees wax, while the kitchen has bookmatched black walnut electronic cabinetry. The doors and joinery were specially made and the skirtings are stone.

The generous use of marble can be seen throughout the house, including on the floors, walls and benchtop.

The house was completed in 2014 after an eight-year build and the owner is now wanting to build again on a larger property in rural Waikato.

The generous use of marble can be seen throughout the house, including on the floors, walls and benchtop. Photo: Open2view

Mr Davey said the new owner would suit someone looking for a one-off.

"It's not your normal house off a plan you can get from any other building company. It's something totally different. It would suit someone who can appreciate the handcrafted work."

The property was expected to sell for more than its $1.98 million capital valuation. The auction is on Thursday at Harcouts in Hamilton and there had been some interest so far.

One of the bedrooms. Photo: Open2view

New Zealand Institute of Architects Waikato/Bay of Plenty chair Evan Mayo said marble was high-end and often beyond most house budgets so usually only found in luxurious properties, particularly rooms outside the bathroom and kitchen.

"It is certainly a different proposition. There's probably no other houses in the Waikato I could think of with marble to that extent inside and out."