Taylor House

The owners of this award winning Christchurch house wanted a modern, warm and inviting family home, which made the most of the sweeping ocean views around Pegasus Bay to the Kaikoura Ranges. Given that extremes in weather are the norm for the site, creating sheltered outdoor spaces that could be enjoyed year round, was a must. Architect Glenn Brebner has created a series of intimate private spaces that unfold beautifully into the more open family and entertaining area at the centre of the home. The location and weather tried its hardest to thwart builders, Right Angle Construction – rocks so hard they had to be blasted out; enough mud and water onsite that it needed to be pumped out, and an earthquake damaged access road (which was steep, narrow and windy to begin with) – made it not only a technically challenging build, but logistically challenging too. However, once all these design and build challenges were dealt with, the resulting home was definitely worth the effort. From its dramatic cantilevered entrance canopy, hunkered into the hillside and clad in a cloak of cedar; past the floating ply feature wall and stunning polished concrete floor in the living area; through the large sliders and onto the fabulously sheltered deck and pool area – always framing those ocean views perfectly.