A quaint series of separate pavilions create a sheltered courtyard garden, which crowns a windswept site in the Onewhero Hills. Built in stages, the cottage, where the owners resided while the main house was completed, later developed as a guest house, completed by the garage enclosing the courtyard shortly after.

The series of buildings are constructed from Celcrete Aerated Concrete Blocks with a skip trowel Plaster render, to add extra dimension through the textural quality of the finish. The owners are delighted to find the interior very quiet and warm, with external noise from guest’s vehicles coming and going up the driveway not noticeable at all.

The main house features a handcrafted fireplace mantle and hearth, built by the owner using reclaimed railway sleepers and who honed the keystones and surround from local materials. High overhead, a generously pitched Skillion roof is sarked with natural timber and articulated with exposed rafters which create a distinctive lodge feel. The reclamation theme continues through the Rimu joinery, which was largely collected and lovingly restored from a hall being demolished in the area.

The Guesthouse has a secluded mezzanine bedroom tucked into in the attic space to maximise floor space and create a play of levels throughout the guest cabin. Here breath-taking views can be captured from a wrought iron Juliette balcony which was  crafted by the owner with great flair.  

All of the cabins incorporate bespoke corbelling, cut from blocks into shape, which helps to unify the different stages of construction into one scheme.

• Onewhero  
• Built 2005  
• Photos by Jann Hurley  
• 270m2