SCHOOL ZONES:
Campbells Bay Primary, Murrays Bay Intermediate, Westlake Boys’ High School, Westlake Girls’ High School.
CONTACT:
Lewis Guy, Zen Property Partners, 021 867 355.
The owners of this Castor Bay home can thank their son for helping them find the clifftop gem they have transformed over the past eight months.
"Our son Justin was renting here with his friends and the first time I came to visit I fell in love with the place," says Christine, who bought the house with husband Rex 12 months ago.
A year before, the couple had bought one of The Promenade apartments in Hurstmere Rd close to Takapuna Beach after living for 12 years in a large house in Milford.
They renovated the apartment and had intended to continue living in it.
Four months after buying the house, Rex and Christine embarked on a major renovation, working with builder Shaun Gordon of Inspire Innovations and Micha Mahler of Living Landscapes and Gardens.
The main aim was to maximise the views from their property.
The back one of two on a cross-leased site, the house looks straight out to Rangitoto Island, with Whangaparaoa Peninsula to the left and Mission Bay to the right.
The north-facing section goes down to the high-water mark and is on the stretch of Beach Rd between Campbells Bay and Castor Bay.
Christine and Rex have not changed the footprint of the house.
Image 1 of 5: Wrap yourself in a property that opens itself up to its marine outlook
Working initially with an architect, Christine has tweaked the internal layout to improve the flow between living areas, use all the available space and capitalise on the views.
Dated bronze aluminium joinery has been replaced with new silver joinery that includes bigger sliding doors and windows with fewer mullions and transoms so the sea views from the front of the house are almost uninterrupted.
The front door to the entrance foyer has been shifted and a wall between the kitchen and dining room has been removed -- all with the view in mind.
Layers of wallpaper have been stripped off the walls, which have been replastered and painted a uniform white. To offset the neutral palette, Christine has dressed the house with colourful furniture and artifacts, which can be bought with the house.
Other changes include completely refurbishing the three bathrooms and kitchen and removing wrought iron balustrading to close in the staircase to the home's top level so the bedrooms there are more private.
Like the house, the once-overgrown garden has been cleared and simplified.
"I wanted clean lines, nothing cluttered and low planting, which would be hardy enough to cope with the winds and the salt."
The revamped garden showcases a swimming pool on the front lawn, which was edged with beautifully laid Kaimai stone tiles when it was installed in 2000.
Near the edge of the cliff, Christine and Rex have built a large, freestanding, wooden viewing deck with glass pool fencing around it.
This semi-sheltered open space, which catches the last of the sun, has been affectionately dubbed "the drinking deck".
Inside the house Christine has also created flexible seating spaces that can work in different weather and social situations.
The ground level of the house includes a triple internal access garage, the sea-facing open-plan living room, dining room and kitchen, a scullery, laundry, fourth bedroom and a bathroom.
Upstairs are three more bedrooms, including the master with its own deck, en suite and walk-in wardrobe, and a spacious office over the garage.
Christine and Rex now plan to move back to Takapuna to tackle another project.
