Robyn Welsh: House has tale to tell

Nestled in native bush high above Matakatia Bay on the Whangaparaoa Peninsula, this is a home with a history of milestones and talking points.

Back in the 1950s-60s, it sat on flat land in Orewa as the much smaller home of the seaside town's postmaster.

Sometime before 2001, when Jennifer and John Robertson moved here, the house was transported 13km along the peninsula to a new, elevated place in the sun.

The drama and logistics of resettling the house so intrigued one of the neighbours here that he captured it on video and later gave Jennifer a DVD of the occasion as a memento.

Until then, she had no inkling of the history behind the house that had two bedrooms, a small room, one lounge, a toilet/shower bathroom without a bath and a garage underneath.

Jennifer and John were keen to take on a building project and, during their tenure, they extended the house into the integrated, functional form that it is today.

It became a talking point among visiting friends and family for more than just its new entertainment decks and bedrooms and bathrooms on both levels.

The novelty of "the Robertsons of Roberts Rd" moniker bestowed on them by friends
amused Jennifer, who thought of it as a sign of good luck.

In 2013, they moved on, selling to Fiona and David McConchie, who had cashed up their respective homes to buy their first place together. Fiona and David had renovated David's house but they weren't looking for a project as such.

It was more that they were smitten with the views here to Auckland City and the Hauraki Gulf. "We just knew this home was a really good buy," says Fiona.

Both sales reps for Placemakers, Wairau Park, they made their own changes, including concreting the gravel driveway and updating the kitchen.

Working in the industry meant they had the contacts for the jobs and, in the case of the kitchen, zero travelling time for client/designer meetings.

Fiona and David routinely work not far from in-house kitchen designer Kenneth Calvo and conversations about design and choices, including benchtops, cabinetry, hardware and Fiona's blue- patterned glass splashback went backwards and forwards across their respective desks.

That splashback is one of her favourite vistas and it has even more impact because of their decision to move the fridge from beside the cooktop to the opposite wall adjoining the galley-style bench.

"It's almost a little bit like an artwork," Fiona says of its beachy vibe.

The kitchen opens to their dining area and the main lounge and an adjacent smaller reading nook with fireplace — this was the "the first bedroom" during Jennifer Robertson's time here.

For Fiona and David, the layout of this home with two bedrooms upstairs and down has been ideal for Fiona's son Jackson, 15, and their son Quinn, aged 3.

When Quinn was born, they converted the upstairs office into a nursery. Later he moved into Jackson's room. Jackson moved downstairs and the nursery reverted to home office status.

Features include the rimu weatherboards on the extension, matai flooring and the rear, paved barbecue area. As for the subtle angle to the house, that avoided the need to cut down trees in the native bush that includes kauri, totara and pohutukawa.

For Fiona and David, it is the views and the track to the beach that they will miss most as they move to another project nearby.

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