SCHOOL ZONES:
Arataki primary, Mt Maunganui intermediate and college.
CONTACT:
Pene Milne, Sothebys, 021 919 940.
AUCTION:
Feb 17, 2pm.
It is surprising to an Auckland visitor how many houses along the Oceanbeach strip of the Mount look like they could be on any suburban strip from Miami to California.
So when Auckland friends Dylan and Emily decided to build a beach house there, they were determined to make it casual and beautiful with a cool beach-meets-urban style they'd not seen on their house hunt.
"We designed it ourselves modelled off the simple wooden box holiday houses we liked," explained Emily. "Inside we just wanted it to be open and airy, light and with a spacious beach feel.
We were thinking it could work for people like us, a young couple or a downsizing one, or for families wanting a shared holiday house. So each bedroom has its own ensuite and deck for a bit of privacy."
Commercial design business-owner Dylan has had experience with renovating his own homes, but for Emily this was her first build. She was surprised how much she enjoyed the process, but admits there were myriad details she had no idea about from the outset.
The pair enlisted architectural designer Matt Hagen to turn their designs into permit-ready plans, and worked with well-known local award-winning builders D & B Construction for the build.
Dylan and Emily had spotted the corner section across the road from the beach access when they'd been house hunting unsuccessfully further along the coast.
258 Oceanbeach Road, Mount Maunganui. Photo / Supplied
With an existing cottage suitable only for demolition, the land was perfect for a new build - flat, with great beach access just over the road and a glimpse of the sea from upstairs.
The replacement house had to fit stringent site and set-back requirements, but their design for a simple two-storeyed wooden box made room for a single garage, secure off-street parking for visitors, as well as plenty of outdoor living.
The simple design has airy open plan living and kitchen as well as two decks - one for mornings, one for afternoons - on the ground floor, with sheltered terraces off each of the three upstairs bedrooms, creating a house with privacy upstairs, great shared living down.
Emily and Dylan were keen to bring in some unexpected touches, starting with the raw concrete wing wall that separates garage from living. It was fabricated off site, with the doors to powder room and garage finished in a matching concrete grey.
258 Oceanbeach Road, Mount Maunganui. Photo / Supplied
The pair commissioned a custom made suspended steel staircase, softened with treads in the bleached oak flooring used all through the downstairs and the corridors upstairs.
Fabricated off-site - along with the steel supports for the custom concrete vanities and round mirrors in each of the three ensuite bathrooms - it adds industrial grunt to the beach finish.
The two outside walls of the kitchen and living room slide completely away (cue more steel, this time in hidden structural beams) to open to the decks.
The eastern one catches glimpses of street and sea through the slat fence, and is shaded by one of the two mature trees already on the property (the pair added more mature pohutukawa and shrubs to soften the house).
Emily says her dad dubbed it "the sunrise deck", and it was his favourite spot for morning coffees when the crowds assembled this summer. The front deck gets afternoon sun, ideal for sunbathing and evening dining, especially as the landscaped garden is lit up as the evening darkens.
258 Oceanbeach Road, Mount Maunganui. Photo / Supplied
People loved being able to pop across to the beach, then come home for an outdoor shower, dining and sunbathing, she says.
The kitchen, in white, has white travertine marble on the splashback and island bench. Fisher and Paykel appliances include double DishDrawers, a gas hob and wide fridge, while the wine fridge, essential for summer entertaining, is Vintec.
