KEY POINTS:
The remnants of a demolished building were given new life by a couple building their dream home in the country.
195 Creightons Rd, Clevedon.
Kathy and Bob Laing had plenty of time to ponder where they would build a home while feeding cows on their 60ha property.
They bought the block of land in 1983 while living around Manurewa and would come out to look after their herd of Simmentals.
"We'd come out on frosty mornings to feed out and we'd say, 'Right up there by the bush would be a good place for the house because the frost never gets up there'," says Kathy.
So in 1990 they commissioned an architect to design a home using recycled bricks.
"We liked old bricks and said, 'Could you put some in?' and he said, "Why don't you build the whole house out of old bricks?"
As luck would have it, the Auckland Electric Power Board building in Newmarket was being demolished and the Laings bought pretty much the whole building.
There was a hiccup though when the cost of a sweeping driveway through the bush and other services meant the Laings had to sell off 48ha of their farm so they could finish off the house.
"Things ground to a halt for a while," says Kathy. "We got all the brick work done and it all closed in, and then we just bached in it for a while until we could afford to finish it off. We wanted to do it properly."
Rimu joinery has been used throughout to complement the brickwork, and the timber also features in the lounge's cathedral-style ceiling and in the flooring in the conservatory and kitchen. The internal doors are kauri.
The master bedroom is at one end of the house with the living areas and kitchen so that the other part of the house with two bedrooms and a bathroom can be shut off. The master bedroom has a walk-in wardrobe and an en suite with spa bath.
All the bedrooms have double rimu doors opening out to decks.
The kitchen has been done in a French provincial style with a chunky rimu chopping block as a centrepiece. The kitchen flows into the glass-roofed conservatory, which in turn opens out to a barbecue area covered with a curved roof.
The grounds around the house have been landscaped and include unusual items such as cream cans, disc blades that have been turned into a water feature and huge metal cones from a quarry that have been filled with plants.
The couple also added what was supposed to be a barn, but that board and batten building ended up housing family for a while. It has three bedrooms, a study, kitchen and bathroom and is rented out for $400 a week.
The latest addition was a machinery shed next to the house, also built with brick and in a style that echoes the home.
Having sold off most of the farm to finish the home, the couple is yearning for a large acreage again.
As Kathy says, "My husband won't be happy until he's got a bit more land and preferably something that's a bit rundown that we can put our stamp on. You work towards the ultimate of getting everything done but we're a bit fidgety now."
VITAL STATISTICS
BEDROOMS: 6
BATHROOMS: 4
GARAGES: 2+
SIZE: Land 9.37ha, house 274sq m, second dwelling 214sq m.
PRICE: $2 million considered.
INSPECT: Sun 2.30-3.30.
ON THE WEB: www.barfoot.co.z # 328451
SCHOOL ZONES: Ardmore primary, Papakura College and private schools such as Santa Maria and Strathallan.
CONTACT: Heather Fewtrell, Barfoot & Thompson, ph 09 298 8029 bus, 0274 954 775, 09 239 1008 a/h.
FEATURES: Large brick home with rural and Manukau Harbour views. Barn converted into self-contained accommodation. Machinery shed. Ten paddocks for grazing. Town water.
