Houses revisited: Castor Bay house
Looking back at the house from the lawn. The mural was designed by street artist BMDBMDBMD.
The open plan kitchen, dining and living room.
The dining area, with library along one side.
The mural wall contains an infinity pool.
The south-east elevation of this renovation in Castor Bay.
Study.
View from the lounge.
Bedroom.
Erica Whineray Kelly and Mark Kelly purchased a great property. It sits on an elevated part of Castor Bay with views to Kennedy Point and then further to Rangitoto and Motutapu islands. When they bought the property, there was a brick and tile bungalow on it, which had a brown conservatory and small deck at the rear. Below the deck was a carport, which was accessed from a drive to the side of the house, giving the home an odd feeling of disconnection to the surroundings.
Although they liked the charm of the bungalow, they thought there might be more possibilities for the home. First published in 2013.
Erica and Mark heard about Jonathan Smith, an architect and Director at Matter, through a friend. After their first meeting, Smith wanted to get an idea of how the existing house and site sat within the landscape, so he went to Kennedy Point. “You can look back on the site and also look out … and see its setting within its urban surroundings,” says Smith. Erica and Mark were struck by his enthusiasm for the project. “I told them I went and sat in a tree over there after I saw them and did a few concepts and it just stuck with them,” says Smith.
All three were keen to do a renovation, rather than remove the existing home completely. Smith says “the basic concept was to use it as a carcass … and to just slot in the new pieces of the home.” This was also a more environmental option - a good way to reuse what was there, rather than just throwing everything away and starting again.
On the outside of the house long-run metal follows from the roof down to the walls and through to the soffits. Where the internal walls have changed and windows had to be moved or resized slightly, the external wall is black-stained treated cedar.
Through the front door, you reach a hall which has a bedroom on each side. If you go straight ahead you pass the staircase down and then onto the main bedroom (with views to the ocean) and ensuite. If you turn right in the hall you come to the kitchen and living area. Erica and Mark had a large collection of books which used to spread throughout different rooms in the home. These are now centrally located on one floor-to-ceiling bookshelf, which is also used to separate the public and private spaces. The lower floor steps down to follow the site, with a gym and storage area, media room and rumpus room. From here you step out to a deck with an infinity pool.
Just when you think you have seen everything, the house offers an element of surprise. On the wall below the pool, which you can only see if you are at the lowest level of the garden, is a mural by street artist BMDBMDBMD. It adds another layer of personality and individuality to the house. “It is like a tattoo,” Smith says.
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Note: These are stories from our archives and, since the time of writing, some details may have changed including names, personnel of specific firms, registration status, etc.
