Waitakere: Going bush

An architect-designed home makes a bold statement in the bush.

287 Wairere Road, Waitakere.

While her friends were off enjoying themselves overseas, costume designer Katrina Hodge was in the grip of first home fever.

She was determined to buy some land and build a house, and she took the first step eight years ago when she bought her bushclad Wairere Road section. At the time it had only a barn on it which Katrina planned to make into a home until she built her new house.

"So we gutted that and built a mezzanine and put in a bathroom and all that sort of thing," Katrina says. "We thought we were going to spend $10,000 on it but we ended up spending $60,000 which meant we had to live there for a few years longer before we could start the new house."

It was another four years before she and partner Gary Illingworth started planning their home, designed by architect Andrew Lister.

Their bach-like home with its strong lines was built three years ago "and we've been finishing it off ever since," says Katrina, who has worked on TV shows such as Xena: Warrior Princess, Hercules, Mercy Peak and, more recently, Outrageous Fortune.

"We cleared the building site and we didn't know we'd get such a great view so that was quite a bonus," she says. "We only had to knock down two ti trees, though, the rest was gorse. We were quite concerned about not touching too many trees."

The house uses a mixture of cladding - macrocarpa weatherboards, hard board and plywood - with metal strips and negative detailing adding interest. Large aluminium sliding doors and windows open the house to its bush surrounds. The polished tawa floorboards throughout the house were a bargain buy from a demolition yard.

The kitchen has stainless steel benches, a gas hob, and a floor-to-ceiling double slider that opens on to a deck overlooking the valley to the east.

"It's an amazing view across the hills," says Katrina, "and it's incredibly peaceful here."

The living room, which has a wood burner, has a large window also facing east that folds back so you can soak up the bird song and serenity of the bush setting.

Down the hallway are the bedrooms - two doubles and a smaller bedroom that has plumbing ready to go should future owners decide they want a second bathroom. The existing bathroom has a shower finished in vivid blue tiles, and outside there is a bath set into a deck that is recessed into the northern side of the house so it is sheltered.

"It's one of my favourite places," says Katrina. "It's good to sit in there with a glass of champagne; it's good with a kid and bubble bath."

On the south side of the house there is another deck with an outdoor shower "for surfboards and stuff", and, separate from the house, an office.

Katrina says there are a number of reasons why they are reluctantly selling up to live in Auckland - her kids' clothing range, Rookie, needs a cash injection and will be easier to run from the city, it'll cut down on travelling time, and it should better suit her and Gary's three-year-old son Arlo. "We've done it kind of backwards and started off where we should end up," she says. "It's really lovely out here; it's such a great spot that we'll be coming back out here again eventually if we can."

Vital Statistics

BEDROOMS: 5

BATHROOMS: 2

GARAGE: 1

SIZE: Land 0.8ha plus 1/2share of 3.3ha common land, house 141sq m, converted barn 60sq m.

PRICE INDICATION: CV (2004) $550,000. Auction December 7.

INSPECT: Sat/Sun 1-2pm.

CONTACT: Joe Mead, Bayleys North West, ph 417 0017 bus, 027 563 6323.

FEATURES: Andrew Lister-designed home with floor to ceiling sliding glass and mod cons. Gas heating and water heating, underfloor insulation, outdoor bath, outdoor shower, concrete water tank. Second dwelling on property: a self-contained one-bedroom converted barn with single garage returns $240 per week.