Embraced by native bush, this stunning home is at one with the land

The flood-prone Castor Bay site, covered in head-height weeds and split by a meandering, neglected stream, had been on the market for six years when Ben and Kylie Crawford fell in love with it. Hemmed by rich native bush flush with kauri, kanaka, nikau, and ferns, the site would be perfect for a home — if only someone had the guts and the vision to overcome its challenges.

A complicated site

In its time on the market, a few other conditional owners had made attempts at a build, but eventually moved on when their concepts fell through. Ben and Kylie knew the risks, but threw caution to the wind with an offer that secured them the site, and a four-month due diligence clause just in case the build wasn’t possible.

With the council regulations around building next to waterways indicating there wouldn’t be enough space to build a home without removing some of the native bush, Ben concocted a plan to make a feature of the stream by building on either side of it — connecting the two structures with a bridge.

“I thought he was nuts but the sketch he drew for me at a cafe after the first site visit is pretty much the house we now live in. He always had this vision for how we could work with the land and not against it, making a feature out of the stream and the bush,” Kylie told Your Home and Garden magazine.

Haven Residential was engaged to build the home at the design phase, and after some tweaks to the design stipulated by the council’s condition that the home’s finished floor level must sit 500mm above the estimated 100-year flood level, they broke ground in November 2014.

Flood-prone and covered in weeds, the Castor Bay site had stumped multiple owners with it’s challenging features before Ben and Kylie Crawford purchased it.

Problem solving through innovative design

The 165 sqm home features three bedrooms, two bathrooms, an open-plan living and dining space, and an impressive 100 sqm of decking, all sitting atop silt foundations hidden behind cantilevered sections. The house is split into two pods — a living pod and a bedroom pod — connected by a glass bridge that allows for unobstructed views of the stream and surrounding bush.

To have as little impact on the land as possible, the house was built from prefabricated Structurally Insulated Panels (SIPs) — and was actually one of the first homes in Auckland to be constructed from this material. Made in a factory and then assembled on site like a life-sized Lego house, Haven Residential’s Managing Director Ray Sale says, from a build perspective, the process is similar to standard construction methods, but delivers a superior finished product.

The benefit of SIPs panels lies in their insulatory properties; achieved by sandwiching expanded polystyrene between strand board, which is then structurally laminated — removing the need for traditional framing and batts. As the home is situated in a valley, this high level of insulation ensures it stays warm and dry.

A roof deck was added above the living space to maximise access to the sun.

As to not take away from the stunning beauty of the native bush, the home was clad in cedar weatherboards and paired with a natural palette of stone and slate-like tiles. Inside, a simple palette of pastels, whites, greys, blonde timbers, and complementary textures inspired by Scandinavian design, allow the lush greens and browns of the landscape to take centre stage. Previously neglected, the stream — which had become more of a boggy ditch when the site was purchased — was restored with geotextile fabric and 30 tonnes of rock carefully placed by hand.

A favourite feature of the home for Ben, Kylie, and builder Ray, is the ensuite shower. Glazed from floor to ceiling on one side, the shower looks out into an isolated section of the bush.

“That first day when we found the section, I stood under one of the kanuka and thought how cool it would be to shower there every day,” Ben told Your Home and Garden. “We set about designing that into our ensuite shower. It’s one of my favourite features — to be showering in the bush without a person in sight, just tūī, fantails, and wood pigeons.”

To make the most of the serene location, the home has three decks — one off the bedroom, one off the living room, and a roof deck that acts as a suntrap above the living pod. Knowing they would have limited sunlight in the winter months, Kylie suggested the roof deck, as that would be the sunniest spot on the property. Kitted out with sun loungers and a relaxing sofa set, the space is ideal for hosting family and friends.

While the build had its challenges, each was overcome through innovative design decisions and collaboration from all parties — delivering a beautiful home that Ben and Kylie will enjoy for years to come.

Learn more about Haven Residential.