KEY POINTS:
A small site prompted the design of two homes that go up rather than out.
1/26 & 2/26 York Street, Parnell.
``Where's the site?'' was property developer Nigel Boland's reaction when he first set eyes on a piece of Parnell land for sale.
``I wondered that because of the size - it was 169sq m.''
Nigel had strolled from his nearby home to check out some advertised land, on the lookout for another project to focus on when he completed an Orewa subdivision.
He found the compact section a stone's throw from the Parnell strip being used for car-parking by neighbouring apartment dwellers.
``But I figured that despite its small size it had a lot going for it.''
Central Parnell land doesn't come up often, says Nigel, and this land's zoning offered work-from-home options, four-storey construction and the lure of views to Devonport and Rangitoto.
Previous owners of the land had envisaged two large apartments stacked vertically, but Nigel briefed architect Paul Leuschke to design separate homes standing side-by-side.
``My surveyor said it's the smallest subdivision he's ever done - and he's been in business a long time.''
The 15cm gap between the two homes enables separate fee simple titles, ``meaning you've got no body corporate fees and you don't need to ask anybody's permission to do anything.''
Both four-level homes homes are serviced by their own lifts, with No 2's operating from the double garage incorporated into the ground floor up to the master suite's harbour views, and No 1's going as far as the third level.
The sleek lines of the contemporary homes incorporate an abundance of glass, their minimalist profile formed in rendered concrete block augmented with balconies. Both have elegantly urbane interiors kitted out in a palette of subtle neutrals.
Nigel's particularly pleased with the bamboo flooring he chose for the penultimate levels: ``It looks stunning, with the added advantage of being hard as nails and ecologically friendly.''
While both residences have master suites atop and garages at street level, their layouts are distinct in other ways. For example, No 1's ground floor office-cum-fourth-bedroom pulses with work-from-home potential; No 2 has a bonus retreat or study preceding the master suite on the top floor.
Both homes have second floor kitchen-living-dining spreads where treble glass sliding doors make the most of expansive views and gas fires promise winter warmth. No 1 opens to a wrap-around terrace screened by low-maintenance planting while No 2 has balconies.
Living just round the corner means Nigel was easily able to monitor progress and often found himself called on to take deliveries.
``I guess you could say I became the unpaid dogsbody,'' he grins.
His sons benefited from the family's proximity to the site by taking labouring jobs there during university holidays, ever watchful for celebrities visiting the well-soundproofed recording studio next door.
Nigel's delighted with the way the design has maximised living space on the compact site. He's now moving on to develop 10 terrace houses in Queenstown.
VITAL STATISTICS
BEDROOMS: *
BATHROOMS: 2
GARAGES: 2
* 1/26 has 4 bedrooms and 2/26 has 3.
SIZE: Land 1/26 is 89sq m, 2/26 is 80sq m; house 1/26 is 295sq m, 2/26 is 272sq m.
PRICE INDICATION: Both have a registered valuation of $1.6 million. Both auctioned separately on site tomorrow, December 17, at noon.
INSPECT: Sat 11-11.45am, Sun 11.45am till auction at noon.
ON THE WEB: www.premium.co.nz # PAR5403
SCHOOL ZONES: Parnell District School, Auckland Grammar, Epsom Girls Grammar (plus easy access to private schools).
CONTACT: Cheryl Whiting, Premium, ph 303 3369 bus, 021 976 221, 308 9969 a/h.
FEATURES: Two new Leuschke Kahn-designed homes close to Parnell strip with separate titles (no body corporate), individual internal elevators and Business 4 zoning allowing work from home. Multiple living areas and striking views to Devonport and Rangitoto.
