Rooms with a view

A cross-shaped floor plan was the ideal choice for a house exposed to the elements. Kim Dungey reports.

Nestled into a hilltop, this Dunedin house is built to take advantage of some stunning views.

The panorama includes small, uninhabited Green Island (Okaihe), about 2km off the Otago coast. On clear days, you can see all the way to Taieri Mouth. Then there’s Saddle Hill and the Rock and Pillar Range.

Gina Watts and Rene Louie moved in last October after spending nearly a year on site in a shipping container.

Ms Watts’ parents had subdivided the land, giving them the choice of five blocks.

The couple naturally wanted to capture the views but were wary of the wind. Architect Gary Todd responded with a cross-shaped floor plan to gain maximum exposure to the sun and views, but also create four sheltered outdoor spaces.

Arrival to the property is from the east and designed as a "journey of discovery". Glazed sliding doors on both sides of the living area, and in the main bedroom, provide a seamless connection to the outdoors.

"My favourite thing is how you walk in and the view opens up," Ms Watts says. "And there’s enough glass so no matter where you are, you’re looking through to the ocean."

The home’s low linear form and earthy-coloured cladding and roof mean it "visually belongs" in its rural residential setting, Mr Todd says. The rough-sawn macrocarpa used as cladding was felled and milled just across the road.

About half of the 2.3ha site consists of dense rock, and boulders removed during the build will be incorporated into the landscaping.

"There were also three existing ngaio trees," Ms Watts says. "The builders had to move around them, but they were one of the essential things we wanted to keep to give a natural feel to the block."

While landscaping bunds were designed by Mr Todd to provide privacy and "reassuring containment" for a property with such vast views, they’re also the ideal spot for the couple’s border collie, Gin, to sit while looking for rabbits.

The interior of the four-bedroom home is light and bright with greens and greys reflecting the earthy tones outside. A ceiling height of 2.7m adds to the open feel.

Living in the shipping container during the build was interesting and made them appreciate the house when they moved in, Ms Watts says.

"It was amazing to be on site and see the intricate things going on. We learned a lot from the team and Hamiltons were incredible throughout the whole building process."

W. Hamilton Building construction supervisor Dillon Ryan says the exposed site sometimes made work difficult, but was just something the team dealt with.

"The second major hurdle was the material shortage after Covid. It only seemed to be hours before we placed our order for Gib that they restricted the supply. [This] meant we had a four-month delay on site."

An insulated raft concrete slab foundation and passive house systems make for an extremely warm home, which is cost-effective to run, he adds. The house is orientated to the sun and an air transfer system moves air from inside to out while maintaining an 18°C-25°C indoor temperature.

"All exterior walls are 140mm thick and insulated with an internal layer of Intello wrap and an additional 50mm insulated services cavity to reduce any thermal bridging through the walls."

Ms Watts says they splurged on the kitchen but saved on the macrocarpa, a gift from her parents.

Their best ideas were finishing the decks rather than leaving them until later, and insisting on lots of built-in storage.

"Storage is always one of those things you think would be the easiest to remove from the budget but keeping that was really key."

Now it’s finished, they love the house not only for its views, privacy and warmth but for the feeling it evokes.

"It’s a really relaxed vibe when you’re here," she says.