SCHOOL ZONES:
Coatesville School, Kristin School, Westlake Boys, Rosmini and Carmel Colleges.
CONTACT:
Logan Gilbert, Premium, 021 242 7241.
Some people like their homes to make a statement, to stand out against the environment. Others prefer their homes to blend in with their surroundings. In Norman and Almut Kirkcaldy's case, they strove to achieve a design that would nestle into its environment.
"We tried to touch the earth lightly," says Norman.
Norman, an architect, and interior designer Almut think of the cedar home they built 23 years ago as a crafted, subtropical home.
"It was a chance to try out ideas we could use for our clients," says Norman.
The couple and their two sons had been living in Torbay when they bought this property, wanting a more country feeling.
"What determined it was the reserve next door," says Almut.
"Originally this was a six hectare block of land with only a cowshed," says Norman. "Over the 23 years we have reduced our holding of land." The couple are selling to move back to the city, with an eye to settling in Devonport.
Their Coatesville property has a studio close to the roadside. This was Norman's office and has a kitchen and bathroom. Now it is home to one of the couple's sons. Built of corrugated steel with concrete floors, the studio is one big space with a standing wardrobe as a divider between living and bedroom. At the other end of this vernacular building are a tack room, stable and garage.
The driveway leads on to the home and the separate garage with loft.
The split-level home, built of cedar board and batten cladding and cedar shingle roofing with natural timber joinery, has separate living and bedroom spaces, linked by a short corridor. Because this is a home of two parts, the separation has created an inner courtyard.
Image 1 of 6: A couple who have transformed their lot from cowshed to crafted, subtropical home. Photos / Ted Baghurst
Norman says having a lot of external walls made the build expensive because of the need for more windows and more labour.
"The big benefit is the sun tracks around the house. It has excellent feng shui with the hills behind for protection and the openness in front, and the water of the pond."
Drawing on three years working in Samoa, Norman incorporated fale design concepts, specifically the hexagonal roof shape over the deck beside Norman's office and the master bedroom.
There is a part wall between kitchen and dining, and a limestone fireplace stands between dining and lounge -- the fireplace is on the lounge side, a Studio woodburner near the dining table. Doors open to a deck and alfresco dining, and a door from the lounge leads into the office, which also opens to a deck.
In the bedroom area, the children's mirror-image bedrooms have lofts, which must have made sons Rodi and Deane the envy of their friends. The family bathroom has a spa bath, shower and double vanities. By the veranda is the laundry, a toilet and airing cupboard with heater as the home's water is solar powered.
The spacious en suited master bedroom has its own deck, again under the extended roofline so it can be used in all weathers.
The finishing touch to this enchanting property is the landscaping, a mix of lawn, border planting around the home, mature trees, hedging and a spectacular display of water lilies on the pond. The combination is nothing short of a masterpiece.
Almut has been able to ride along the road to the local pony club. The boys could walk or cycle to their school and Olle, their black labrador/quarter huntaway.
Norman says: "This is a wonderful family home, especially for an extended family as someone could live in the studio at the front."
