Ron and Ngaire Pearson were thinking big when they traded their beautifully landscaped 2ha Whitford property in 2006 for a dilapidated house on a sloping site at Bucklands Beach.
A decade down the line, they are living in a skilfully constructed, three-level, 735sq m home in Waller Ave where the old house once stood.
Their modern, Italian-inspired "dream home" sits high above Bucklands Beach and has commanding views of the Tamaki Estuary, Half Moon Bay, Rangitoto Island and the upper end of the Waitemata Harbour.
When the Pearsons approached Pakuranga-based architect Kim Veltman to design their new home, they showed him a stack of magazines full of luxury homes, which they'd already pored over for inspiration.
"Some of the designs we showed Kim turned out to be his. He listened to our brief and came back with a concept that was 98 per cent perfect," says Ron.
The brief included having sea views from all living areas, wide hallways and high studs where possible, a large home theatre, wine cellar and an internal lift for "future proofing".
They also wanted an infinity swimming pool close to the house and an outdoor living space that flowed from the main inside living area and was large enough to fit an elaborately decorated ceramic dining table they had shipped from Italy.
Ron says, most importantly, the house needed to be "liveable" and to not feel like a show home.
Image 1 of 5: They wanted the best - and they got it. Photos / Ted Baghurst
The north-facing house, which took two years to build, is designed to be sheltered from prevailing westerly winds, which are also blocked by a mature pohutukawa surrounded by sub-tropical landscaping on the 1350sq m property.
No expense was spared on building the home, which has filled concrete-block walls, concrete floors and ceilings, a Monier tiled roof, high-quality aluminium joinery and double glazing in all rooms, except the triple-glazed home theatre.
"We didn't want any complaints from the neighbours during the rugby season," says Ngaire.
Lighting, heating, air conditioning, security cameras, music and video systems are all fully automated and three tanks beneath the main patio hold backup water supplies collected from the roof.
Other features include Italian porcelain tiles in the bathrooms and laundry, a 3000-bottle capacity wine cellar, three gas fires including one in the outdoor room, an audio library off the home theatre, extensive storage, a three-car garage with workshop, a huge spa bath in the master en suite and a butler's pantry off the kitchen.
Down a right-of-way and past security gates, you enter the home on the mid-level, which has a wide entrance foyer. To the right are a guest bedroom, bathroom and separate formal lounge. To the left are the lift, stairs to the upper and lower levels, and a large dining room.
Down the hall are the sunny, north-facing, open-plan kitchen and family room. These rooms are perfect spots to sit and watch all of the activity on the ever-changing harbour.
Ron and Ngaire would like a smaller home, possibly with more land, but are in no hurry to move until they find exactly what will suit them.
