Mike Scott is a Patumahoe local with several perspectives of life in the small rural, south Auckland community.
He designed and built his first home here 17 years ago, then downsized his plot to move into a new home in one of the residential developments taking shape on the fringes of the established township.
Perfectly happy to stay in the community that is proud of its "village" branding, Mike settled in, watching with interest the new homes sprouting in his wider neighbourhood.
But two years later, when a house hunter arrived with a real estate agent and an offer to buy his home, he accepted it on one condition.
He would only sell if he could buy the house taking shape across the way. And he did.
Mike has one particularly beautiful neighbourhood focal point to thank for drawing this house to his attention a year ago.
It is the curvaceous pond and its walkways and bridges, which were created by Searle Holdings during the first stage of their land development here to connect these homes to the village centre.
Designed primarily for storm water retention, the pond's organic form with wetland planting boasts birdlife, ducks and eels.
The pond at the heart of surrounding elevated homes has become a popular route for walking groups and for near-neighbours including Mike, who walks regularly with his sister.
It was during one of their jaunts that Mike noticed this house being built opposite the homes that flank his street's walkway down to the pond.
He liked its single-level, wide-street frontage and its well-proportioned floor plan with large bedrooms and a generous family bathroom with level access directly into the shower.
Every house Mike has owned here has been a big home and the only major difference with this one is he has garaging for two, rather than his previous three cars.
A Mustang enthusiast, Mike says this home has been good for his car club gatherings and smaller family get-togethers.
A builder at one time in his pre-retirement life, he has made a few changes of his own. In the garden he had a summer pergola installed where he could sit and read in the sun, with raised garden beds as the landscaping element.
Off the lounge he had clear cafe blinds installed to turn the courtyard into a surprisingly warm all-seasons lounge with a flexible outdoorsy vibe.
Beyond the sliding doors to the front patio off the the dining area, he added a glass balustrade around the perimeter of the pergola for Hazel, his three-year old black Labrador.
The house itself was built by Outlook Homes with brick exterior cladding beneath a roof of metal tiles, a 2.7m-high interior stud and double-glazed, aluminium joinery.
Inside, the decor is light, with varying darker tones underfoot from the wood-look vinyl tiles in the entrance, kitchen and laundry to the tiles in the wet areas and the carpet in the lounge and the bedrooms.
Now, Mike is set to leave the street named after the wife of the former landowner and get another perspective on life in these parts, as he and his sister and brother-in-law pool their resources to buy a home they can share together.
