Ramarama: Taking wing

A couple thought of an innovative way of increasing the living space on their country property.

81 Cooper Road, Ramarama.

Properties with potential are a double-edged sword: it's easy to see what they might become but then you have to focus on the reality of achieving that.

When Bob and Fiona found a rundown home with some outlying greenhouses on 1ha in Ramarama four years ago they saw huge possibilities.

``We loved the location because of its close proximity to the motorway,'' says Bob. ``It was very private at the end of a no-exit road - and it faces north.''

The home, though, had some very makeshift elements, such as a 2sq m kitchen area and a bath sitting outdoors with a hose running out to it. ``We always like a challenge and this is probably the biggest one we have taken on in all our years together,'' says Bob.

Within a month, the home was re-lined, insulated and had a new kitchen installed.

The couple's original intention was to eventually build an altogether new home on the site, but then they had the idea of simply adding another wing.

``We got that from a local house removal guy from down the road,'' says Bob. ``I'd seen it sitting there in the yard after driving past it for about a year or so and it was a good fit with what we already had.''

Connecting the two buildings is a 30m-long by 2.5m-wide picture gallery, a standout feature of the property and one the couple were very keen to integrate into the design as ``art is a significant thing that has gone on all our lives''.

The renovations and additions have been done in sympathy with each other to create ``a modern concept with lots of windows and a sloping roof''.

From the entrance, you turn left to go into the open plan kitchen, dining and living area, what Bob calls ``the entertainment area'', which opens out to a paved courtyard covered by a shade sail where the couple have barbecues.

Wandering through the picture gallery, which is filled with light, takes you to the other wing of the house, which has its own separate entrance via a covered walkway from the portico garaging at the rear of the house. It also has its own kitchen and lounge.

The addition was done primarily with extended family living in mind: the couple's daughter Amy and her two children also share the home.

Bob and Fiona also put in a lot of work outdoors, removing three plastic houses which were used to grow tomatoes and then flattening the area to allow them to build a ``fully engineered'' 650sq m shed which is used as a home office and for storage.

``It would be ideal for a car enthusiast,'' says Bob. The couple might have done a lot of work on and around their home, but Bob says he refuses to be ``a slave to the property'', which is about 90 per cent pasture - a neighbour's sheep are used to keep the grass down.

The remaining 10 per cent of the property is a corner of covenanted bush - totara, kauri and puriri - that boasts ``magnificent birdlife''.

VITAL STATISTICS

BEDROOMS: 4

BATHROOMS: 2

GARAGES: 2

SIZE: Land 1.078 ha.

PRICE INDICATION: Interest expected between $1.2 to $1.3 million.

INSPECT: By appointment.

ON THE WEB: www.barfoot.co.nz # 342829

CONTACT: Winston Morrison, Barfoot & Thompson Pukekohe, ph 027 241 2807 mob, 09 238 7091 bus, 09 238 8070 a/h.

FEATURES: Refurbished home with two wings and new kitchens and bathrooms. Covered outdoor entertainment areas, picture gallery, 650sq m (approx) of shedding for storage or home office, filtered drinking water from rain water tanks augmented when necessary by water bore.