Outward bound in Omaha

8 Paua Ln, Omaha. Photo / Geoff Dale

8 PAUA LN, OMAHA

6

4

0*

* Five off-street car parks

SIZE: House 360sq m; land 902sq m.

PRICE INDICATION: Interest around $3 million.

INSPECT: Saturday 1pm-2pm.

ON THE WEB: www.premium.co.nz/TAK7975

SCHOOL ZONES: Matakana Primary School, Mahurangi College.

CONTACT: Lewis Guy, Premium, ph 916 4394 or 021 867 355.

FEATURES: Modern, large, solid block and plaster family home fronting the Omaha beach reserve. Minimalist styling includes multiple floor-to-ceiling windows and doors opening to courtyards, decks and the reserve. Underfloor heating throughout ground floor, kitchen features double Miele ovens and Bosch dishwasher. Bosch sound system, washing machine and dryer included.

As a teenager, Ruth Shannon harboured dreams of becoming an architect. Her dreams didn't eventuate - she became a nurse - but they endured.

When she and husband Ross decided to buy a section at Omaha eight years ago - thinking they might simply build a bach on it - her dreams of designing a house became a reality.

After buying the land, the Shannons decided to sell their Epsom home and move for good. Ross needed to be in Auckland for business only a couple of days a week, and the commute was easy enough. "It was always a dream to live on a beach," says Ruth. "We saw this and ... it's wonderful. We love it."

The section they fell in love with borders the reserve running behind Omaha Beach, so the view from every eastern room in the house is of grass, boardwalks, sand and surf.

Ruth drew up the floor plan before handing it over to draughtsmen and engineers to interpret her ideas. What she wanted was white, light and minimalist - which is precisely what she got.

The very large double-storey family home is white inside and out, and dominated by floor-to-ceiling glass on almost every wall, letting the Omaha sunshine stream inside.

Where the walls aren't white or glass they're half-height concrete block, with the industrial grey echoed in the polished exposed aggregate floors throughout the ground floor (all with underfloor heating).

Indoors and out seem to merge not only because of the myriad options for opening entire walls to decks, courtyards or the reserve, but also through that exposed aggregate, which continues outside.

The minute you step in the front door and look down the long passageway to the open-plan living room and kitchen, you are taken outside again through a wall of glass.

A private lounge on the left, that long passageway and the living room form a protective U-shape around a sheltered north-facing courtyard with an impressive outdoor fire for when the nights get cooler.

To the right is a separate wing with two bedrooms (one with an en suite), a shared downstairs bathroom and Ross' office, which is also plumbed for a kitchenette.

Behind the kitchen is a separate dining room which also faces out to the reserve and beach through floor-to-ceiling glass.

Upstairs are four more bedrooms, with the master and one of the others sharing elevated ocean views. As well as a large en-suite bathroom, the dominant feature of the huge master bedroom is the entire northeast corner, which slides back, opening up to a large, private deck.

The two bedrooms on the western side (complete with laundry chutes) also open through floor-to-ceiling glass to their own deck.

The house is enormous, but that was deliberate, as Ruth and Ross have four sons and a daughter between them. There is room for everyone to have their own space, while the open-plan living downstairs is the family hub.

Ruth can't sing loudly enough the praises of living in Omaha. "It's wonderful - it's so quiet and peaceful the majority of the time." But it's also very social, she says, as when neighbours do arrive, they're relaxed and in holiday mode.

With just their youngest daughter at home now, Ross and Ruth have decided to downsize to something smaller. They'll probably build again - and they're staying in Omaha.