Serendipity might have led a Dunedin couple to their block of land, but the build involved careful planning, Kim Dungey reports.
Mike Wheeler was teaching his son to drive, practising handbrake starts on a steep and winding North Taieri road, when he took a call about a property he had looked at the previous day.
Learning it was likely to sell for much more than the registered valuation, Mr Wheeler made a "flippant" comment about it being better for him and his wife to sell their house and put the capital gain into building.
That led the real estate agent to ask if she could interest them in some land in Taimoa Rd.
"I’m there now," Mr Wheeler told the surprised woman.
"I got out of the car while I was talking to her, walked 200m and was looking down the hill at the section."
"It was meant to be," he says, with a laugh.

"When I first saw it, I said ‘No way. Look at that road. I’m never living up there’," she recalls.
"But we bought it anyway because it was too good an opportunity to miss."
While the couple hadn’t been looking for anything like the 15ha on offer, they were sold on the panoramic views and soon got used to the steep access.
At first they considered using a plan from a group housing company, sending it to their close friend, Cameron Grindlay of Dwelling Architectural Design, to check it would work on the site. Grindlay later offered to prepare a provisional plan of his own — a modern take on traditional gable forms that was exactly what they wanted.
The couple, who own an engineering supplies business, asked for open-plan living, high ceilings, and a design that made the most of the outstanding views to Saddle Hill, Flagstaff and down the Taieri Plain towards Dunedin Airport.
A single-storey plan and recessive colours ensured the house blended in rather than stood out, a condition of the consent. Their block is exposed to the elements so airtightness and high levels of insulation were also musts.
The two gable wings are connected via the hallway but offset from one another to allow for all-day sun and views from every room. One wing comprises the living area, master bedroom and en suite while the other contains two bedrooms, a bathroom and guest toilet.

The high ceiling and exposed trusses in the living area were requested by Mrs Wheeler who likes the space and look of English barn conversions. Before, they lived in a 1914 villa where about six people could fit in the living room. Now they can easily entertain at least 20.
One end of the living space lends itself to social gatherings while the other is more intimate. "But it doesn’t matter where you are, you can be involved in everything."
Four skylights as well as gable end windows above the family space capture the winter sun. Sliding doors lead outside and picture windows were carefully planned to frame specific views.
The galley kitchen includes the laundry hidden away at one end and also offers views of the surrounding landscape.
A gas fire, a wood fire and two heat pumps ensure they never feel cold.

A meeting with Grindlay and builders Wilson and Stroud Construction early on ensured there was good communication and the 15-month build went smoothly, he says.
"Both were fantastic to deal with and made the process easy."
In fact, the only challenge was persuading his wife to leave the Mosgiel villa she had a strong attachment to.
"Even the day we moved in, I didn’t want to do it," she says. "But now I wouldn’t swap at all."
“Going for an architectural designer over a group home gave us exactly what we wanted for the site," Mr Wheeler says. "The group home we were looking at would have done the job but perhaps not as well as what we ended up with”.
"It’s more personal, more us," his wife adds, "and we were lucky to have Cameron do it with us."