He said there was a plumber working in the ceiling when the fire started, and he alerted Mr Gulik and his wife Karina to the blaze.
"The plumber guy was right onto it," Mr Gulik said.
"He said, 'there's a fire get out'."
The entire roof was on fire, with parts collapsing from the damage.
Mr Gulik said their dog Ruby was also rescued from the house.
Neighbour Garry Grey saw the smoke from the fire and first thought, "who the hell is burning off in this weather?"
He went inside and called the fire brigade.
"It certainly smoked," Mr Grey said.
Mount Maunganui station officer Paul van Kol said there was a "likely chance" at least the top half of the house would need to be demolished.
Mr van Kol said when they arrived "the whole roof was on fire" so they had to "attack it from the outside".
"The roof is collapsing," Mr van Kol said.
They would assess the damage once the house was safe to enter. The cause was still being investigated.
Sixteen firefighters, with five appliances from Papamoa, Mount Maunganui, Greerton and Tauranga were needed to battle the blaze.
Mr van Kol said the hot weather and wind had aggravated the fire.
Northern Fire Communications shift manager Paul Radden said calls were made to 111 about 12.10pm yesterday.
Mr Gulik said he, Karina and dog Ruby would be staying at their son-in-law's house in the meantime.
Mr Gulik said they were just finishing renovating their home.
Smoke alarms:
Photoelectric fire alarms are recommended by Fire Safety New Zealand. They are usually more expensive, but are also usually "toast proof", so are less likely to go off in situations like burnt toast.
Source: www.fire.org.nz/your-only-voice/index.html
