Six decades on, Lockwood pioneer's home is for sale

Designs by Lockwood Homes' co-founder Jo La Grouw have sold around the world, including in Russia and the Middle East. Photo / Supplied

A home belonging to the family of rich-lister and Lockwood Homes co-founder Jo La Grouw Snr is for sale.

The late Mr La Grouw built the family home, a Lockwood, in Rotorua in the early 1950s as a prototype for the company that built using a method of interlocking timber.

The design has since sold around the world, including to Russia and the Middle East.

Mr La Grouw and his late wife, Gonda, made the property their home for more than 60 years after emigrating from Holland with their five children.

He and his business partner, Johannes Van Loghem, pioneered the building system.

Son Joe La Grouw said the family home held lots of good memories but it was the right time to move on.

"It's very hard to part with but there's no point hanging on to it for the sake of it," he said.

His father died in September, aged 98, after a short illness.

He used to swim 30 laps a day in the property's swimming pool, which has a footbridge across it and is surrounded by garden.

The house, which is being marketed by Bayleys, sits on 2226sq m of land in two titles, and features the typical Lockwood design, said Bayleys Rotorua manager Beth Millard.

The La Grouw family featured on the National Business Review's New Zealand Top 50 Rich List in 2006, with an estimated worth of $50 million.