14 Crummer Rd, Grey Lynn, Auckland. Photo / Ted Baghurst
Hankering to be close to everything the central city offered, Shayne Hubert wanted to move his four children from the family home to an apartment in Ponsonby in 2004.
Back then, there was not much around. It was rare for families to live in city apartments. Most were small and families were more or less confined to life in the burbs.
So, the construction company owner found a commercial site along Crummer Rd that offered the opportunity to create an exceptionally large, private home above offices and so accommodate his business and residential needs, all in one place.
As it was a commercial site, he did not have to deal with as many building controls, which gave him more flexibility with the design and he was permitted to go up to 12m.
"I wanted to do New York-style living combined with the Kiwi notion of indoor-outdoor flow; the way New Zealanders like to live," says Shayne.
"My brief to architect Nick Molloy was to maximise the amount of sun we could get in here. I didn't want it to look like a house from the street. I wanted to come in and see it unfold."
A large mesh door beside the window to Shayne's office and four-car garage next door gives no hint at the expansive luxury home hidden above.
People assume there are offices upstairs as well. Little wonder, when guests take the stairs and arrive in the elegant open kitchen plus atrium dining area with glass sliders opening to the massive outdoor terrace, the reaction is often jaw-dropping surprise.
Split between two interconnecting levels around planter boxes containing mature tropical trees, the courtyard terrace bathes in sun all-day.
When anyone in the family wants to cool off, they can take a dip in the 8m heated pool that reaches out along the lower level. And in the evening, an outdoor fire beckons from the main living area beside the media room above.
Shayne and his former wife enjoyed the space the apartment affords, giving them a substantial amount of private living space.
Their enormous adult zone with room-sized dressing room and a luxurious en suite with freestanding bath sits above the main living area and opens to a north-facing deck that has views of both the Waitakere Ranges in one direction and the Sky Tower in the other.
It is some distance to the four-bedroom teenagers' wing which connects across a stunning glass bridge suspended above the pool.
Children are treated to an abundance of entertainment space below their bedroom wing with yet another kitchen/lounge area. Plus a sixth bedroom for guests beside the fourth bathroom looks across the pool.
"Having four teens in an enclosed environment like this is unusual," says Shayne. "But in this location, moments from Ponsonby Rd, you don't need a big backyard. There are so many parks and outdoor spaces nearby.
"The kids have loved living here. It was great for having friends around. It's a great entertainment house. A large family can live here without feeling they're on top of one another."
The amount of dedicated family space is surprising. Yet, there is still more. To the rear of the garage, two doors open to the basement where a storage area expands across the full footprint of the home above.
For Shayne, this has been invaluable. "It would be great for someone running a business," he says.
From their coveted spot near the best cafes and restaurants in central Auckland, the Hubert family has watched the big hole opposite fill in with numerous other apartments that comprise Vinegar Lane.
Apartment living has become an accepted way of life in Auckland, but this enormous urban retreat is still exceptional.