Houzz Tour: Handy Holiday House in the Trees
A renovated holiday house is given a new look and added space to accommodate the needs of a more grown-up family
Kaiteriteri Beach, just out of Nelson at the top of New Zealand’s South Island, is best known as the gateway to the pristine bush and seascapes of the Abel Tasman National Park. In the summer, the wee town of 700 people swells to 9000 visitors a day, with families from around the upper South Island, and from Wellington, just across the Cook Strait, holidaying here for generations.
A family from Wellington, used to holidaying at the beach for years, decided that as their teens grew up, their old house at the top of the hill was getting too small. So they commissioned Nelson architectural designer Tony Karsten to design an overflow house for the kids and their friends, so that the family could continue to enjoy the area for years to come.
A family from Wellington, used to holidaying at the beach for years, decided that as their teens grew up, their old house at the top of the hill was getting too small. So they commissioned Nelson architectural designer Tony Karsten to design an overflow house for the kids and their friends, so that the family could continue to enjoy the area for years to come.
Karsten and builder Johnny Lewis took care to disturb as little of the bush as possible. The site was also steep and challenging, in a slip-risk zone, so the house was built on foundations of driven timber piles reaching to the solid rock below, with no concrete used or earth displacement.
This clever design won Karsten the regional 2015 Resene Architectural Design Award for Compact New Home. And builder Lewis received the top award in the Registered Master Builders 2013 House of the Year for excellence in workmanship, creativity and innovation.
The building sits very lightly on the ground, and other than trimming the odd branch, all of the contractors were careful to protect the surrounding kanuka (Kunzea ericoides) trees and other vegetation. The result is a house that has a close relationship with the surrounding bush.
This clever design won Karsten the regional 2015 Resene Architectural Design Award for Compact New Home. And builder Lewis received the top award in the Registered Master Builders 2013 House of the Year for excellence in workmanship, creativity and innovation.
The building sits very lightly on the ground, and other than trimming the odd branch, all of the contractors were careful to protect the surrounding kanuka (Kunzea ericoides) trees and other vegetation. The result is a house that has a close relationship with the surrounding bush.
Kanuka trees have long, leathery strips of dark bark, so Karsten specified vertical cedar shiplap weatherboard stained black to mimic that, helping to camouflage the building within its surrounds. He inserted white at the entrance to draw visitors inside and set the tone for the intriguing house.
Two wings radiate off the entrance: kitchen and living area to the north, bedrooms to the south. Karsten offset the boxes so the building reads as two smaller houses, suspended in the trees. It also meant that all the bedrooms could get sun and bush views.
The light-filled glass entrance leads to the bedroom wing on one side …
… and the living area on the other. Inserting the raked windows took some careful work by the joinery suppliers and builders, but created the impact the clients were after.
The sloping site made for a challenging build for Lewis and his crew. Hidden from sight is the extensive plumbing work required to manage the fall of the slope for drainage. But once the piles were in, Lewis says the simple structure was quick to build. The build came in at under NZ$2000 per square metre, comparable to a group build house.
In a small space, Karsten used borrowed sightlines and changes in levels to expand the volumes, so the rooms appear bigger than they are. Here, he used floor-to-ceiling glass doors (all double-glazed) and wrapped the living rooms with decking to increase the feeling of space.
After much discussion, the family settled on making a big kitchen island that doubles as a dining table, removing the need for a table as well. The simple kitchen wraps around the wall, while built-in seating creates an informal gathering place and hidden storage.
By opening up the sitting room to the kitchen below, Karsten created the impression of a much bigger space. The built-ins continue with cabinets to house the TV and holiday paraphenalia.
Oak flooring continues up the steps to the sitting area, which has a heavy-duty carpet to withstand wear and tear.
The back wall of the sitting room faces the driveway, so for privacy Karsten inserted high clerestory windows. They help dissolve the boundaries between the house and the bush, providing both delightful glimpses of sky and treetops, and ventilation in the summer heat.
The sitting room also borrows light and views from the generous glass entrance. The clients like that the two spaces have some separation, with cook and helpers still in contact with the TV viewers upstairs. Down the hall beside the chair is a small bathroom.
Cantilevered decks wrap around the house, so that it seems to be suspended in the trees.
The bedroom wing has a bunkroom and two double rooms, along with the main bathroom. Because the house is not overlooked by neighbours, Karsten used floor-to-ceiling windows in all the rooms. Again, high clerestory windows on the driveway side maintain privacy while ensuring air circulation.
Each of the double bedrooms gets a bird’s-eye view out over the kanuka forest.
Karsten enjoys creating rhythm in windows, using details like this to create high impact on a tight budget.
Each of the bedrooms has plenty of storage, and ceiling fans for hot summer nights.
Both the main bathroom, shown here, and the smaller bathroom are finished in easy-care tiles with glass shower doors. A laundry is tucked in the other side of this room, so that paying guests are completely self-contained. The house works well for the family’s own summers, and is now a sought-after retreat as well.
TELL US
What do you like best about this holiday house in the trees? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
TELL US
What do you like best about this holiday house in the trees? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
Who lives here: A holidaying family with teenage children, and holiday renters
Year built: 2013
Location: Kaiteriteri, New Zealand
Size: 97 square metres; 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms
Builder: Johnny Lewis, Lewis Building
Architectural designer: Tony Karsten, Karsten Architectural
Aside from having this holiday house for their own downtime, the clients also wanted to be able to rent the cottage out when they weren’t using it, so they asked architectural designer Tony Karsten to create something “more fun than a stock-standard house – something cool for rental, with a wow factor,” Karsten says. Layered boardwalks and skylights in the porch draw visitors to the most striking feature of the house: a sloping window that reaches into the bush and establishes that this is a tree house.