"I managed to buy the section and I then I woke another night and thought this is a bit dumb, why don't I build the house on the new section and leave the house where it is?
"I project managed it, it took us eight months from the day we started to the day we moved in."
The house is mainly concrete finished in roughcast plaster, and steps up the hillside.
"It was designed by Hamilton architect Peter Chibnall, a friend of the family.
"He came up to the site, looked at the various views and angles, and he started sketching and putting ideas together until he came up with the plan we have now. Every room in the house has a view.
"My wife wanted a swimming pool and I didn't want a pool unless it was indoors and heated.
"The other thing I wanted was some boys' toys sheds, so we have four double bay garages on the bottom level. We have ride-on lawn mowers, kayaks, yachts, beach toys.
"You would get a 7m long motorhome or a vintage car collection in there."
The northwest facing home is positioned to enjoy harbour, rural and garden views, and all-day sun.
"It wasn't built in any particular style," says Tom. "The outside of the house doesn't scream at you, it is minimal, we kept the pitch of the roof low, we kept the colours neutral, and it is when you get inside the house you see the rooms, the vaulted ceilings and the views out of each room.
"That was our intention, not to worry too much about the outside because we live on the inside."
Their home sits on 4000sq m with riparian rights to the sandy beach in the Mahurangi Harbour. Landscaping includes 10,000 native trees.
"There are lots of flowering shrubs and feijoa and guava trees to attract native pigeons and tui. Now you would look at it and never believe it was a paddock. It is reasonably hard to find an acre of land that has riparian rights, that fronts on to the harbour. I applied to the then Rodney Council to build the jetty and after a considerable battle with them we were granted a coastal permit to build. You can catch fish or swim off the end of the jetty."
The large house has large rooms.
"We like the big open plan," he says. "The room as you walk in the front door is four rooms in one ... lounge, dining, family room and kitchen. We have had family parties with tables and chairs set up for 50 people."
This level also has the master bedroom suite, a day room and office.
On the next floor down are the two guest suites, the home theatre, self-contained kitchenette and laundry, and a double garage.
The workshops are below that again, with the workshop roof forming the deck for the level above.
"The house is designed with lots of places you can be together but there are also lots of places you can seek some solace," he says.
Tom says the house has the potential to be run as a top-end B&B.
"We had my daughter, her husband and two children live there for 13 months while they were building a new house.
"More recently, my son and his wife lived with us for 14 months while they were building new. It is self-contained down there and ... there is no sound transmission.
"We are selling because there are two of us rattling in one corner of almost 800 odd square metres. I am getting to retirement age so we are going to build something a little more modest on the beachfront at Algies Bay.
