Sandspit: Man with a plan

A large home with sea views has had a lot of thought put into its construction.

33 Brick Bay Drive, Sandspit.

Brad Maker thought of everything when he had his Sandspit home built two years ago - like making the walk-in pantry big enough for a deep freeze and a beer fridge.

"I thought, 'Why go to the garage every time you want a beer or something out for dinner? Why not have them close by?'."

Similarly, he designed the triple garage so part of it could be closed off for storage.

"So many garages end up full of stuff - this way it can still be there but you don't have to look at it. And you've still got room for a double garage and workshop."

Brad, an electrician, had some very definite ideas about what he wanted when he designed his home. "I wanted a house that was ideal for day-to-day living. I took into account other houses I'd lived in and where you spend most of your time - in our case it was the kitchen area.

"So I sat down and drew a plan, with the kitchen and family room as the hub of the house. When I took it to the architects the only thing they changed was the roof line."

One thing that particularly stands out about this house is its size - everything is big. The open plan kitchen/dining/family room is huge, as is the formal lounge with its enormous schist fireplace. Because the rooms were so large, Brad felt the house needed to have a higher than usual 2.7m stud. "Otherwise the ceilings would have felt really low."

The living areas all have bifolds or ranch sliders that open to the 6m deep deck. "You can open up the whole north side of the house which is great for indoor/outdoor flow and making the most of the views across the water," says Brad, who shares the house with his twin sons Ty and Jordan, six.

The house has five bedrooms in a wing reached by a corridor lined on one side by glass. "The sun comes in and heats up the bedrooms but there are windows in the top of the wall of glass that can be left open, so it's really well ventilated," says Brad.

The only single bedroom is used as a study. The boys have a double bedroom each, and there's an extra large guest room with space for a lounge suite. The master bedroom has an en suite with an automated bath.

The house sits in grounds with lawn and native bush. It's a short walk down to Sandspit Wharf, making the house a boatie's dream.

Brad says it's time he and the boys moved on, but he hopes the new owners will enjoy the thoughtful touches he's included. Did he mention the double carport built especially for guests' cars?

Vital Statistics

SIZE: Land 6204sq m, house 333sq m.

PRICE INDICATION: $1.3-$1.5 million.

INSPECT: Sunday 1-3pm.

CONTACT: Robin Grant, Ray White, ph 09 425 5457 bus, 021 657 220 mob.

FEATURES: Two-year-old ply batten single level home, panoramic water and rural views, formal and informal living areas, walk-in pantry and commercial size gas hob in kitchen, schist fireplace plus wood burner, triple garaging plus workshop.