No Comments »

Happy Home for a Young Family in New Zealand’s North Island

• Tweet

• Tweet

The Brick Bay House has an unusual trellis facade in front of the windows.

This louvered frame to the walkway gallery provides shade in the summer and protection in the winter.

The house was designed by Glamuzina Paterson Architects for a young family of five in Snell’s Beach.

The clients wanted a house that had a relaxed feeling of connection to its rural surroundings, and followed the land contour.

Firmly dug into the earth and designed as a relaxed L plan, it has public spaces on one end, and bedrooms on the other.

At the far end of the public L, a built-in barbecue fireplace allows for outdoor cooking on balmy summer evenings.

The north deck opens to the east and west allowing afternoon sun to penetrate the living areas.

With the floor to ceiling windows open, a breezy kitchen feels almost as ‘outdoors’ as the barbecue seen through the living room.

Altogether a very friendly and relaxed family home.

Local New Zealand timbers were used throughout, and milled for the project, here forming a feature wall/headboard for the master bedroom.

Macrocarpa wood, that will weather naturally to a warm grey, was used in the board and batten that wraps the house.

Waste was dealt with on site with sawdust used for the garden and farm, and off-cuts for firewood and furniture.

A walkway along the front connects to the bedroom wing.

The bedrooms follow the gentle hill down the side of the section.

The porch enclosures and the open living space were sited to frame views to the north and the east, towards Kawau Bay.

A straightforward and pleasant house where a growing young family can enjoy the good life.