Sanctuary for all seasons in Beach Haven

Photo / Geoff Dale

11 BEACH HAVEN RD BEACH HAVEN

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SIZE: Land 1407sq m, house 120sq m. Second dwelling 240sq m (including garage).

PRICE INDICATION: By negotiation. CV $1.438 million.

INSPECT: Sunday 1-2pm.

ON THE WEB: www.premium.co.nz/ TAK8108

SCHOOLS: Beach Haven School, Birkdale North School, Birkdale Primary School, Greenhithe School, Windy Ridge School, Birkdale Intermediate, Birkenhead College, Glenfield College.

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

FEATURES: Large waterfront property with stylishly renovated 1920s bungalow and 10-year-old minor dwelling, currently used as an extra living space and office. The section has riparian rights, a deep-water mooring and potential for an additional waterfront home on the large lawn

When Louise and Giscard Rutten bought their waterfront Beach Haven property 16 years ago, it was the fulfilment of their Kiwi dream.

Taranaki-raised Louise had met her Dutch husband in Britain and lured him to New Zealand - in part with the vision of a calm and serene, yet affordable, home beside the water.

They found it in the pages of a property magazine. It included an enormous section on a peaceful finger of the harbour, yet was deceptively close to Auckland's CBD. It came with riparian rights and even a deep-water mooring.

On the section stood a 1920s former RNZAF holiday bach. It had been tastefully renovated a decade or two earlier to take advantage of its watery outlook and original features, but had fallen into disrepair.

"We thought we could make it into something nice,"says Louise. They put in an offer straight away and, within a week, the property was theirs.

Structurally, the house needed little work. A veranda with original fretwork provided an atmospheric entrance. The west-facing living areas opened up via bifold windows and French doors to a private landscaped pool area and outdoor "room", beyond which was a large lawn and the water.

Upstairs, the loft-style master bedroom, with its timber bifold windows, was perfectly positioned as a crow's nest from which to survey the harbour.

In the years that followed, Louise and Giscard stripped back the home's interior to the original brick and native timber, repainted, added a sunny third bedroom, renovated the kitchen and family bathroom, added a second bathroom, installed loads of storage space, and concealed 21st-century wiring, security, piping and heating. They've also recently recarpeted, and painted the exterior.

However, the big changes to the property came 10 years ago, when Louise and Giscard decided to bring their business home. At the time they were employing a dozen staff, so they built a second dwelling closer to the road that could answer their business needs but was flexible enough to morph into a private apartment.

A large, open-plan room upstairs could serve as a meeting or living room, and an adjoining office, with picture windows that line up with the view, could become a bedroom. Downstairs is a kitchenette, a bathroom and a three-car garage, and a big attic provides hidden storage space.

The couple linked the period and modern dwellings by matching the exterior colour schemes and creating a European-style courtyard to provide a transition between the properties and a sheltered spot in any weather.

Louise says the best thing about the property is the way it has grown to meet their changing needs, from young professional couple seeking a peaceful escape from the city and an entertaining venue, to parents of young boys needing plenty of outdoor space and business-owners wanting to provide their employees with a pleasant working environment. It has also proved cosy in winter and airy in summer.

The couple have since scaled back their employee base, so the boys - Oskar, 10, and Hugo, 8 - get to use the big open space in the newer dwelling as their playroom, while their parents keep a discreet eye on them from the office.

But the family's Kiwi dream has evolved. They've decided to swap their waterfront lifestyle for a rural one, and perhaps buy a bit of land up north.

"We've loved it here,"says Louise. "It's worked out better - way better - than we ever expected. It's got a nice, relaxed, low-key vibe."