When Bryan and Liz Chitty wanted a good solid family home for their section at Mangawhai Heads, they turned to Platinum Homes.
"That was basically our brief," says Bryan. "We like the way they build, it's the old-fashioned way. It's 100ml framing, brick and tiles, concrete floors, block base.
"We just chose one of their plans and altered it to suit ourselves with ranch sliders to the outside.
Bryan says: "I had the land here for a fair while, and there is a great lifestyle up here. You can be as busy or as relaxed as you want. And it is a good friendly community, that was another attraction. And, of course, the beaches."
The Orewa company built the house over six months, with the family moving in during April 2008 after living temporarily in the sleepout which sits next to the home on the 2000sq m section.
"It is a comfortable home and warm to live in," says Bryan. And it has all the mod coms - DVS system, alarm and monitoring cameras and Rinnai gas heating.
"I am a plumber and gas fitter, and gas does not cost you money ticking over all day. As long as you have plenty of gas and water, you don't run out of hot water which is good when you have a crowd at Christmas time."
And he likes the home's ease of access to the outdoors.
"If you like entertaining and being outside, it has good flow," he says. All living areas face the rural views and the outdoors area, all accessed through ranch sliders.
90 Tara Road, Mangawhai Heads. Photo / Supplied
"We designed the house to maximise privacy and enjoyment. We have a lounge, dining area, kitchen and another lounge or reading area and they all open out to the deck with the pool."
The pool is a hit with all the family. "It is a normal chlorinated pool. The kids love it. And I was in it last night, actually," says Bryan.
At the back of the house, the area closest to the street frontage, are the home's four bedrooms, bathrooms, the garage and the large concrete driveway with plenty of room for the family's and visitors' vehicles.
"The concrete tidied it all up. It was metal and it has taken me years to save up to pay for it. It stops all the dust. When we have friends and family, they can bring their cars, boats or caravans and there is plenty of room to park and turn on the property before you get out on the road.
90 Tara Road, Mangawhai Heads. Photo / Supplied
"We planted a whole lot of bush down the back on council reserve land because, when we bought the place, it was overgrown with scrub and weeds. But we planted it out with native trees and you can sit and watch the birds. They all come in now. It gives it a nice outlook.
"We have landscaped the property mainly with palms as they are easy, when you are working, to look after. You don't have to spend hours of your weekend doing gardening. "We have mulched areas and put stones in certain areas. Every two or three years you re-mulch it, keep a few of the weeds at bay and you're in business."
Bryan says they are close to everything they need but have enough distance between them and the busy-ness of the town centre to enjoy peace and quiet.
"The beach would be a five-minute drive, two minutes to the village and about the same to the heads, seven minutes to the surf beach.
90 Tara Road, Mangawhai Heads. Photo / Supplied
"It just depends what you are interested in. Me, I love my fishing.
"But after working all week, I don't go too far at the weekends, sometimes I like to do nothing at all."
And he says drive times to Whangarei and Auckland are constantly improving. "It is only going to get better with the motorway from Puhoi and they have finalised the route from Warkworth past Wellsford now.
"It is a central location, 40 minutes and you are in Whangarei. If the traffic is not too bad around Warkworth, you can be in Auckland in under the hour."
The couple are selling to move closer to Bryan's parents at Ardmore. "We need to be nearer to them. We might build again down there."
