Begin Again

This couple razed their Hauraki house to its foundations and built a new Scandi-style family home in its place.

- Catherine Steel

On a hot summer’s day you can practically smell the sea from Kirsty and Steve Job’s home in Hauraki, Auckland. Its proximity to Takapuna Beach was a major drawcard when they bought the property in 2009, and its large section and the fact there were good schools nearby made the decision to buy an easy one. “We felt the area offered more bang for its buck than other parts of the city,” says Kirsty.

Although an upstairs extension had been added in the 1980s, the three-bedroom house – which was built in 1915 – was dark, cold and cramped. “The kitchen, dining and lounge areas were not conducive to hanging out or entertaining,” says Kirsty. “The main bedroom was upstairs and the children’s bedrooms were downstairs, which wasn’t ideal.”

THE MASTER PLAN

Kirsty and Steve started planning a renovation. “But as our plans evolved,” says Steve, “it became evident that our layout changes and the amount of remediation work required would mean significant costs.” So the couple took a couple of months to investigate whether it was better to renovate, sell or rebuild from scratch.

“After looking at the market again and going to more open homes, we realised we loved the location of our property and the smartest thing to do was to demolish and build a new family home that would work for us for the next 15 years,” says Steve.