Devonport - Fresh start

After being knocked back in a bid to alter their home, a couple removed it and started again.

33A Stanley Point Road, Devonport.

Nearly six years ago, Graham and Ruth-Ann Seatter bought a Devonport bungalow, planning to add a second storey. But when they applied for a resource consent, a neighbour - who had a two-storey house herself - objected.

Their dream quashed, they decided to start afresh (the neighbour has since moved on).

They removed the house from the site but had to get a resource consent to build a new one.

Because Devonport is a special character zone it was a slow process. The building took 15 months but in the end they were chuffed to discover the house had won a Registered Master Builders Gold Award.

The one-year-old concrete brick two-storey house is a substantial building you can't help notice from the street.

With large sliding doors facing the winter sun, the concrete floors and interior walls absorb solar energy during winter days and release it at night. In-floor electric heating augments this.

In summer, the midday sun falls on the roof, so the concrete insulates the house from the heat. Boundary walls made from similar materials and polished concrete floors make it hard to distinguish indoors from out.

Stanley Point Road is quiet anyway, says Graham, but concrete is a great sound deadener. This house has tonnes of the stuff.

Both floors are concrete, with steel and reinforced concrete beams comprising the basic frame. Concrete brick walls, both exterior and interior are concrete-filled. You get the feeling this house is bullet-proof and will stay put for centuries.

Although it's a big house, it feels peaceful and comfortable. There's no sense of being overwhelmed by a huge space.

``When I get home, it feels warm, with a soft light,'' Ruth-Ann says.
Nevertheless, Graham says the house soaks up a crowd.

Large rooms, indoor/outdoor flow and ruggedness mean it's great for parties. Graham is head of Soccer New Zealand and they have successfully entertained 100 people without it seeming crowded.

A large kitchen is at the heart of the home and other rooms fan out from it.

Upstairs is a world of its own. The master bedroom has a substantial walk-in wardrobe, where Ruth-Ann points to every girl's dream - storage for dozens of shoes.

There's an office/rumpus room which the couple's teenage children, Kate, 13, and Matt, 15, use extensively.

The house's mass absorbs sound, enabling different generations to co-exist. Mod-cons include being wired for high-speed internet.

The home's architect, Bruce Macfarlane, lives nearby - which Graham felt would encourage him to do his best.
``He said `Trust me' a lot,'' says Graham.

There's been some gnashing of teeth about moving after just a year, but Ruth-Ann and Graham have spotted a section with a sea view nearby, and want to build again.

VITAL STATISTICS

BEDROOMS: 4

BATHROOMS: 3

GARAGES: 2

SIZE: Land 730sq m, house 350sq m.

PRICE INDICATION: Above $2 million. Tenders close October 13.

INSPECT: Sat/Sun 12.15-1pm; Thurs 5-6.30pm.

ON THE WEB: www.harcourts.co.nz #dp060904.

CONTACT: Glenice Taylor, Harcourts, ph 021 943 021, 446 2112 bus.

FEATURES: One-year-old award winning concrete home. Office/rumpus room upstairs. Wired for high-speed internet.