When Jim and Barbara Scopas move into their new home, they won't have far to go.
They're building just in front of their current property, replicating many of the features of the house they've enjoyed for several years.
"We bought it when it was barely a year old," Jim says. "We'd been looking for 18 months but, because we had come from a larger property in West Karaka, we wanted rural views and also views of the sea, so that's why it took such a long time to find it."
They achieved the views they wanted — and then some. The house looks across the countryside to Kawau Bay, and on to Kawau Island and beyond. It was designed and built to maximise the views and follow the sun, and because it's elevated on a sloping section, it looks down on to mature planting and some covenanted native bush.
"When we first came, I spent a lot of time planting it out, mostly in natives to make it easy-care," Jim says.
The original owners were specific about the materials used to build the house and its pale macrocarpa ceilings and beams and polished floors made from hardwood railway sleepers set it apart.
Floor-to-ceiling windows, a pitched ceiling and white-painted walls in the living areas give it an open, summery feel.
Bi-folds from the open plan living area, the separate sitting room and the bedrooms link the interior to the spacious decks, where Jim and Barbara have enjoyed outdoor dining and entertaining.
"I've never measured those decks but my guess would be there's over 100 square metres," Jim says.
9 Arabella Lane, Snells Beach. Photo / Supplied
He's been doing a lot of the cooking lately and while he's not a serious enthusiast, he does find the big, modern kitchen an easy place to work in, with ample bench and storage space.
"The house is easy to live in," he says. It's four bedrooms with an office but it doesn't feel huge.
"We like the big, open living space. Because we get all the sun, the house is warm. And even though we have a gas fire, we've never used more than four bottles of gas in a year."
The separate lounge and bedrooms are along the hall from the living area. Jim says the floor plan works well for most family set-ups.
9 Arabella Lane, Snells Beach. Photo / Supplied
He and Barbara use the open plan living area most and Barbara likes to sit in there and watch the ever-changing views, which often include cruise ships on their way past.
When they began to consider downsizing, they looked at retirement villages, and even conducted an experiment by buying an apartment in nearby Orewa to see whether they liked it.
9 Arabella Lane, Snells Beach. Photo / Supplied
"We didn't," Jim says. "I could never stay there for more than four days at a time. I felt trapped."
Nor did they find any retirement villages with the sea views and sun they wanted, so they decided to build directly in front of their present house.
The advantages are that it's a smaller piece of land and the house will be smaller.
They'll still have the views, they'll still be only 10 minutes from Matakana, they'll still have Brick Bay Vineyard as a neighbour, and they'll be even closer to the beach — just 100 metres away from a walk on the sand.
