SCHOOL ZONES:
Mahurangi College, Snells Beach Primary School.
CONTACT:
Jim Mays, Premium, 021 937 766.
It's hard to resist adopting beach-house style on a block overlooking the water, but it wasn't a problem when it came to designing this classic home at Mahurangi East.
The property is near the tip of Scotts Landing, and has wide views of the Mahurangi Harbour and beach access, but other than the location there's nothing beachy about it.
Mark and Janette Iles already had a beach house nearby when they decided they'd like to retire to the area, so a suitable home was the plan.
"The beach house was a dear little place and we didn't want to add on to it," Janette says. "We'd been coming here for 20 years and loved the area, so we bought this block to build a house that would be suitable for us later on."
Apart from the view and the beach access, the site appealed because it's in a designated area of significance and there are many beautiful old native trees around. Janette and Mark love their natives, so choosing a planting style wasn't difficult. The site was bare when they bought it and they've planted virtually everything on it.
Lots of time, effort and money went into the garden design. It combines casual planting with formal elements, but even the topiaries and clipped hedges are natives. All the terraces and paths are wide, and where steps are needed there are only one or two at a time. Below the house is a large grassed area planted in native trees.
When Mark and Janette put their design for the house together they kept the layout simple and minimised stairs and different levels. They chose the classic look of a bungalow because they didn't want a house that was tied to a particular trend, resulting in an elegant home with classic styling.
Also on the wish list were big overhangs so they could walk around without getting wet, big doors on both sides for the breeze, and good outdoor living space. The detail of the design was in part dictated by the furniture they had.
"We have pieces we've owned for many years that we either bought or inherited and we have had most of them all our lives."
Image 1 of 5: Couple fulfills plans to retire by seaside without sacrificing space or comfort
The mirror in the entranceway, for example, has been in their possession for many years. It's French, and they designed a recess especially to fit it, and put timber in the framing to hold it up.
"We were aiming for surroundings that we were comfortable in -- we weren't building this for someone else."
The home features a large lounge and dining room with a 3.6m high ceiling in the main areas. There are three bedrooms, an office, two bathrooms and three showers and toilets, and a studio or workshop space located on a separate level with its own entrance.
Janette chose to use different tints of the same colour throughout most of the house, with the exception of the kitchen, where the blue and white colour scheme ties into the sea view.
"I do enjoy cooking in that kitchen," Janette says. "It opens up to a big deck with a long table and barbecue and it has been very well used."
She also loves the proximity to the water. She and Mark are both outdoor types and they have kayaks and dinghies.
Janette swims every day.
As well as the beach at the bottom of the garden there are good surf beaches nearby and it's only about 15 minutes to Matakana and Warkworth. A very good package, they say, at only an hour from Auckland's CBD.
