Langs Beach - Fateful sign

A couple realised their vision at a coastal section by building a generous family getaway.

46 Wairahi Road, Langs Beach.

It was hardly high-powered marketing, but a scrappy, hand-painted `For Sale' sign caught the eye of a couple while they were cruising Langs Beach looking for a holiday home about 12 years ago.

That sign stuck in Louise's mind to the extent that she convinced husband Scott to go back and have a look at the section.

And despite being five months' pregnant, she ``climbed up this scrappy tree in the middle of the section and saw this incredible view.''

That outlook sold her on the section and then it was just a matter of how to build to make the most of the long, narrow piece of land.

``We went for a haybarn design with a curved roof because that gave us the maximum possible space,'' says Louise.

She remembers with great fondness that the cedar-clad home was finished in time for the family to enjoy its first Christmas there with the latest addition, Guy, then five months old.

A striking feature of the home is its polished rimu floors and exposed beams - and the adobe-style open fireplace in the open plan living area.

One of the design features that Louise insisted upon for the ``funky modern stainless steel kitchen'' was that the bench face the sea view, to make cooking and dishwashing less of a chore.

The living area opens to a deck that runs the width of the house and enjoys 180-degree views over the water.

There are outdoor speakers as the couple enjoy entertaining and have thrown ``lots of big parties''.

At the rear of the ground floor there is a laundry, bathroom and a bunkroom with built-in wooden bunks.

Upstairs there are three bedrooms and a bathroom. The master bedroom has its own balcony with glorious sea views.

In 1999, a barn-shaped garage with a self-contained loft space was built.

``It's purposely got a high stud so we can get a tractor and a big boat in there,'' says Louise.

There's also a laundry downstairs, while upstairs has beds, a kitchenette and bathroom.

``When we have guests staying I always put breakfast things up there and tell them, `Just wander down when you feel like it; it doesn't matter if we don't see you until 11 or 12.'''

To one side of the garage is a spa pool made private by native plantings.

Apart from being just a short walk to the white sand beach, Louise says one of the property's greatest assets is its large flat lawn, something Guy, now aged 12, and his sister Ashley, 15, have enjoyed immensely over the years.

``It's been a great play area for the kids,'' says Louise. ``It's totally fenced and safe. We play cricket on it all summer; we've had badminton nets up and the kids have put tents up on it.''

Louise says it's been a tough decision to sell, especially as the property holds so many happy memories, but the family is ``moving into a new phase of our lives''.

They may not be away from the area too long, though, as Louise says she'd love to build another house at nearby Waipu Cove one day.

VITAL STATISTICS

BEDROOMS: 5

BATHROOMS: 3

GARAGES: 2+

SIZE: Land area 809sq m, house 160sq m plus loft 50sq m.

PRICE INDICATION: Most recent sale in Wairahi Road is $1.2 million for a two-bedroom house. Auction November 8.

INSPECT: By appointment.

ON THE WEB: www.bayleys.co.nz #311951

CONTACT: Christine Birss, Bayleys, ph 09 4315 415 bus, 027 235 4323.

FEATURES: Funky two-level beach house with polished wood floors and open fire. Decks downstairs and off the master bedroom have wide sea views. Self-contained loft above high-stud garage. Spa pool.