SCHOOL ZONES:
Meadowbank Primary, Remuera
Intermediate, Selwyn College.
CONTACT:
John Lantz, Ray White Remuera, mob
0275 433 224, wk (09) 929 2341.
FEATURES:
Renovated home opening to loggia
with outdoor fire on large north-west facing
grounds with swimming pool. Cathedral ceiling
over large open-plan living space with designer
kitchen and scullery, alongside theatre room-
lounge.
Very little of this elegantly executed family home existed when Duncan and Belinda Robertson bought it, but they were banking on a vision.
Five years ago the couple bought a small 1940s' home on these large northwest facing grounds. Duncan owns building company, Aspen Construction, so wasn't too bothered bythe modesty of the original weatherboard home.
"We looked at the neighbours on both sides and saw they'd started in a similar situation; buying a big section with a small house, which they'd extended. That gave us some insight into what our future could be like," he says.
They lived in the original house for a stint and PE teacher Belinda had their second son before they began refurbishing and substantially extending the home. They removed about 50 truckloads of soil to level the big section.
Duncan's business experience doing shop fit-outs at Ponsonby Central helped him conceive a strong layout and designers Creative Arch fine-tuned the plans.
That new layout coped brilliantly within a week of completion, hosting 80 people for family celebrations. The finished home went on to win Architectural Designers NZ awards in 2012.
A pillared rock fence accompanies the double garage, which has an extra-high door to accommodate a boat or an SUV with a pod on top. It also boasts a motherlode of in-roof storage, a covered walkway to the house and the added flexibility of an additional side roller door to the front lawn.
The grounds include plenty of space for kids to hurtle around, much to the delight of the Robertsons' two boys.
The front hallway features one of the home's three Velux rain-activated skylights. Duncan says: "They're great because they've got good rain sensors so you don't have to worry when you shoot out and leave them open for ventilation."
The original part of the home has five bedrooms. The master opens to a side deck and has a walk-in wardrobe and double shower en suite.
"They say kitchens and bathrooms sell a house but I think storage does too," says Belinda as she slides open a towering linen cupboard. It's beside the separate laundry, near a smart bathroom and separate toilet.
Stained timber floors continue past a study nook and the side deck, where the kids often enjoy outdoor meals. A high cathedral ceiling reigns over the home's biggest wow factor, a spacious open-plan living space opening to an outdoor loggia with fireplace.
Belinda's aunt, award-winning designer Robyn Labb, designed the exquisite kitchen, which incorporates dark marble, textured oak cabinets and a scullery that includes a second oven. Belinda enjoys the flexibility of baking in one oven while cooking dinner in the other.
Indoor and outdoor fireplaces have granite hearths with a leathered finish. The home also has smart wiring and a digital surround-sound system controlled by an iPhone or tablet.
The couple had intended living here longer, making the most of the family friendly neighbourhood, good school zoning and proximity to beaches and the motorway. But the opportunity has arisen to take over the dairy component of Belinda's parents' beef, sheep and dairy farm in Kerikeri. "We have a vision of replicating this place in a nice paddock. We love this design and we'd do it again. It just works so well for family life."
