"This didn't seem like an amazing deal at the time but what we liked was that it was a challenge for us because it was not a flat section. That inspired our design a lot and that really excited me."
Their vision of a home with scale and height, raked ceilings and open trusses started coming to life in their collaboration with Warkworth-based architectural designer Martin Harnish.
Together they fine-tuned a floor plan with an entry level living area wing, a separate wing for bedrooms and the bathrooms and a carpeted double garage, workshop and separate laundry downstairs.
Beyond the front door, the kitchen, dining area and lounge open out to the long rear deck that was created by excavating into the slope of the site.
Certainly the colour palette here is white, but the important texture that enlivens this space is evident in their choice of materials.
The engineered stone of the kitchen island bench and Clare's favourite subway tiles used in the splashback and the scullery are a contemporary element.
The tongue-and-groove ceiling, the rustic open roof trusses and re-homed villa bricks in the floor-to-ceiling fireplace bring strong lines and warm, characterful terracotta hues into the picture.
Simon's father, Ross, also a builder, designed the kitchen.
Ross and Simon, who work together as Cato Builders, built the cantilevered concrete fireplace hearth.
Clare's father's input included cutting the pine log to create the wooden side tables in the kitchen and in one of the guest bedrooms.
Clare's mother, who passed away in 2013, had years earlier gifted Clare the restored aluminium light that used to grace the Taihape Majestic Theatre.
For the nine months after construction started in November 2014 - Clare and Simon moved in during September 2015 - they'd work here in their evenings.
In the adjacent en suite and "house bathroom" that separate the guest bedrooms from the master bedroom, Clare and Simon laid and grouted all the tiles.
In the living areas, they laid, glued, sanded and sealed the solid American oak timber flooring.
Timber that features elsewhere includes the cabinetry in the master dressing room, the plywood ceiling in the adjacent bedroom and Simon's headboards in two of the guest bedrooms.
"The house evolved and we have loved it," says Clare.
"We have loved putting our energy into this."
They're planning to do it again, taking with them a wealth of creative experience and Clare's cherished heirloom dining room light.
