Dream Home: A Coastal and Countryside Oasis

When Raymond Davey and his partner began the build process over 4 years ago, Landmark Homes wasn’t the first company they selected. “Initially, we chose another housing company to work with, but we simply weren’t satisfied with their ideas,” explains Raymond. “They tried to give us one of their stock plans and make it fit the site, but it didn’t really work, and it wasn’t what we wanted at all.”

A rethink was in order, so the couple began considering their options. “We went along to our nearest Landmark Homes showhome and that made our mind up – it was an unusual design, very different, and right up our street. We wanted a home that was modern and architectural, and we felt Landmark could deliver on that.”

A Challenging Site

Their section was on a steep slope, which was a challenge on its own, especially when paired with the developer’s covenant around what could be built – resulting in significant restrictions on exterior materials, roof pitch, joinery height and more, as well as a committee requiring full approval over the design. Luckily, that’s exactly the kind of challenge that the team at Landmark Homes North Shore/Rodney relish and rise to regularly.

“Landmark understood what the requirements were from the developer’s covenants and had lots of ideas on how to work within the limitations of what we could build,” says Raymond. “That was one of the main reasons we wanted to work with them. ”The design process itself was “surprisingly easy.” The couple sat down with North Shore/Rodney designer Wendy King and talked through their wish list and vision for the home in depth.

She went away, came up with a concept, and “got it right first time” – designing a home that worked with the steeply sloping site, made the engineers happy, made the developers happy, and, most importantly, made the Davey family happy.

And what a home it is! “It’s a Central Otago-style shape, done in a very modern way,” says Wendy. “Contemporary, but with a nod to traditional.”

Views in Every Direction

Having a sense of height and space in the home was important to the Davey’s, as was capturing the phenomenal views – and that’s exactly what Wendy’s design does.

Outdoor features include an incredible infinity-edge 14.5m saltwater concrete heated pool – definitely high on the Davey’s wish list – and fully tiled pool house with its own changing room. The pool house was intentionally designed with a flat roof, so you can look west over the rolling hills from the upstairs bedrooms (and soak in those phenomenal sunsets) without interruption. The same is true for the glass fencing around the pool, which offers superb views to the ocean. “Those glass walls were expensive but worth it!” smiles Raymond, citing it as one of his favourite areas of the house (though admittedly, it’s hard to choose).

Soaring cathedral ceilings in the main living space add a huge amount of drama to the room, with two-storey-high windows to admire breath-taking ocean views. The central dining and family room opens onto a large, covered louvre area on one side, with big, chunky Abodo timber supports and glass walls for an uninterrupted outlook – and an open patio with a concrete Boston fireplace on the other side.

Thoughtful Spaces and Features

The modern open-plan kitchen has a butler’s pantry, complete with a sliding window that opens onto the outside seating and dining area, making outdoor entertaining even easier. Meanwhile, the granny annex can be expanded from one-bedroom to two-bedroom, thanks to a clever cavity-slider placement. This is a very family-oriented home that could accommodate a lot of people, comfortably and easily.

The entire top floor is the homeowners’ suite – encompassing a master suite, study nook, and an “evening” living room boasting a sleek, cedar gas fireplace with built-in TV, vaulted ceiling, and tea-making facilities. This snug space was designed so that the couple could relax by the fire with a steaming cuppa, without having to go downstairs to the kitchen. Finally, louvre windows were added to provide both ventilation and views, the reason being that they “allow you to capture the stunning outlook without cutting up the window into small panes,” explains Wendy.

You may be wondering whether their budget soared, along with those two-storey ceilings. The answer, happily, is no. “Landmark did an excellent job within with our budget – they stuck right to it. And we are very happy with the end result. It’s our dream home come to life.”