Warkworth: Changing places

A British couple bought and radically revamped house under construction to create a luxurious retreat.

Carista House, 124 Miller Way, Martins Bay, Warkworth.

When Simon and Patti O'Shaughnessy migrated from Liverpool to Rodney five years ago, they struggled to find a suitable home.

"We're British, so we wanted something more substantial than a bach," says Simon.

What they found was a three-storey house under construction on a 6.9ha farmlet atop a ridge above Martins Bay near Warkworth.

They kept the frame, but stripped off the monolithic cladding and the inside walls and started again.

The frame was covered with tanalised plyboard, then clad with weatherboard. The original three-bedroom plan was expanded to five, which required them to double the size of the septic field. They replaced macrocarpa floorboards on the middle level with Victorian ash. The floor plan was opened out to create a combined kitchen and living room, with a separate dining area to the side.

"I design spas and saunas for health clubs, so I am always thinking about how people move about a space. There has to be a flow," Simon says. Rather than have the garage in the basement as in the original plan, they used the space for a home gym and pushed the cars out into an enclosed double carport.

Upstairs is the main bedroom, a full bathroom, dressing room, sundeck, three lounges and a large landing. There is another full bathroom on the middle floor, while the downstairs bathroom has a double shower.

Because of its location on a peninsula, the sea can be seen from every room in the house. The views stretch over to the Coromandel and, if the air is clear enough, even down to the Hunua range south of Auckland.

The kitchen is built to semi-commercial standard, with two Gaggenau ovens, a steamer and two gas hobs.

"We hosted a wedding here, with more than 100 guests, and the caterers were able to prepare most of the food on site with no problems," Simon says.

Rainwater is stored in three 5000-gallon tanks, and there are two mains supplies and two broadband links into the house. "We doubled up on everything."

Outside, the O'Shaughnessys installed decking, a spa pool large enough for 8 people, and a sanarium (a cross between a sauna and a steam room made of spruce logs by German firm Klafs). The spa has its own gas water-heating system.

Detached from the house are a games room which Simon uses as his studio, and a sleep out with lounge, kitchenette, triple bedroom, toilet and shower.

There are two open paddocks which could be used to run horses or land helicopters.

"We booted the cows off and have tried to plant as much of the property as we could in trees," Simon says.

While most are natives, there is also a small citrus orchard laid out.

A line of macrocarpa stops the prevailing southwest wind before it hits the house, making the ridgetop setting surprisingly calm.

Simon says the property, which they called Carista House, from the Greek word for full of grace, might suit use as a homestay or retreat. "We almost went to run a retreat centre, where you could get 12 to 14 people on day retreats. When it's full of people, it's an exciting place."

The task which brought Simon to Warkworth, setting up a local television station, has been completed, so the O'Shaughnessys want to move closer to Auckland, where their three children live.

"This has been a labour of love, but I am an entrepreneur, and I need to move on," Simon says. "At our age, we don't need all this."

Patti says she will miss being able to share the property with friends.

"It has been a refuge for people from Auckland, she says. "They come up here and drop into the spa, have a sauna; it's a place they can come and relax."

Vital Statisics

BEDROOMS: 6

BATHROOMS: 4

GARAGE: 2+

SIZE: Land 6.9ha, house 540sq m.

PRICE: Buyers above $2 million should inspect. Tenders close February 16.

INSPECT: By appointment.

CONTACT: Allan Myers, Barfoot & Thompson Warkworth, ph 09 425 9883 bus, 021 489 336 mob.

FEATURES: Gaggenau kitchen fittings, soapstone wood burners, gym, decks, sauna, spa, sleepout, studio, extensive grounds, spectacular views.