Clevedon: New beginnings

The house may be an old girl, but she has a new spring in her step thanks to the painstaking efforts of her master craftsman former owner, writes VICKI HOLDER.

The traditional two-storey farmhouse that stands on one of the highest points of Waverley Farm in Clevedon was built 100 years ago.

However, owner Peter Mahoney is quick to explain that the home was moved to the property nine years ago by the previous owner. "And only a very small part of it was moved," he says. Peter isn't sure which bit exactly, but he thinks it was the room that now houses the kitchen and looks down over the rolling green hills of the Clevedon Valley through a bay above the kitchen bench.

The rest of the house has grown considerably to accommodate the needs of a modern family. But it has been so carefully crafted out of traditional and recycled materials, it's impossible to tell where the old ends and the new begins. In fact, it draws striking similarities to the design of an original homestead further down the road, which Peter believes was probably the builder's source of inspiration.

Peter adds: "The previous owner was a master cabinetmaker who was a perfectionist. He did everything superbly. I wouldn't want to re-do the house as it involved some very expensive construction."

Peter and his family moved to the spot from Hamilton to be closer to Auckland for a manufacturing and importing business. He was also keen on the lifestyle possibilities offered by the Clevedon Valley.

While the land holding made it considerably bigger than a lifestyle farm, Peter's daughter needed plenty of space for her horses. He built her an all-weather dressage arena, and the Pakuranga Hunt Club makes use of the large expanse of gently rolling, electric-fenced hill country for hunts. As well as the stables with boxes and tack rooms near the house for his daughter, Peter can spread out in a large warehouse and storage shed that has self-contained accommodation, an office and plenty of covered areas for the family's vehicles.

There are also cattle yards and a variety of sheds on the property.

The house accommodates large family and formal living areas opening outdoors to a wrap-around veranda. Recycled kauri floors and battened ceilings flow between the modern, forest green farmhouse-style kitchen and an adjacent casual sitting room. A brick fireplace between the two rooms makes the area cosy in winter.

The family spends most of their summer outside enjoying the low-maintenance garden, which is sheltered by bands of mature native and exotic trees. Brick cobblestones form circular patterns in a large paved area off the sitting room.

The casual areas are where the family lives when they're not enjoying the great outdoors. A big, formal lounge and dining room on the opposite side of the entry hall awaits guests for formal entertaining.

Functional rooms off the family living area include a large walk-in pantry with open shelving. A country-sized laundry opening to the back door hides storage behind cream tongue-and-groove-style cabinetry.

A traditional rose-coloured bathroom with dado, clawfoot bath and pedestal basin sits next to a separate toilet. These rooms feature tessellated tiled flooring, while the office - with dark green walls, gold and white roman blinds and carpet - has a masculine feel.

Upstairs, all four bedrooms are spacious doubles with wardrobes behind villa-style kauri doors. The master bedroom boasts views of the Coromandel in the distance, and you can see the full extent of the property from one of the windows.

The master bedroom has a walk-in dressing room and modern en suite with a timber-topped vanity. A traditional flavour is brought into these rooms with coved ceilings and rippled green glass panels above the casement windows. Extra accommodation for Peter's teenage son is in a fifth bedroom above the double garaging beside the house.

Just 30 minutes' driving time from the city in non-peak traffic, Waverley Farm is a quiet, rural base for a family and business.

Vital Statistics

ADDRESS: Holden Rd, Clevedon.

FEATURES: Traditional two-storey farmhouse on rural property; views of rolling hills and Coromandel; character construction with recycled materials; four bedrooms plus fifth bedroom above double garaging; family and formal living areas; good indoor-outdoor flow through french doors; Jetmaster fire in sitting area; three bathrooms, including master en suite; stables and tack rooms; purpose-built warehousing with office, storage and self-contained accommodation; fully fenced paddocks; all-weather dressage arena.

SIZE: Land area 20ha.

AUCTION: 3pm, April 27, on site.

AGENT: Jim Scorrar, Wrightson Real Estate, Pukekohe. Ph 09 237 1250 bus; 0274 811 811 mob.