Houzz Tour: Vintage Kiwiana Meets Modern Comfort
A classic bach gets the makeover it deserves when an owner buys the dream beachside property he remembers from boyhood
New Zealanders have a romantic notion of rustic beach houses of the past – baches in the north, cribs in the south – cobbled together over the decades from whatever materials were at hand; relaxed, barefoot and a bit shabby. While this was the stuff of golden stories from the ’40s, ’50s, even into the ’70s, today’s beach towns are more likely to be suburbs of the big cities they abut, furnished with city-like houses, roads and cafes.
That’s why the owners of this bach in Manly, about 40 minutes outside of Auckland, couldn’t believe their luck when this basic bach came on the market four years ago, just as they were planning their retirement. The husband had known the old house from his childhood summer holidays at the beach, so they swooped on it. While the old place was pretty far gone, the couple approached local architectural designer David Maurice to make it comfortable without destroying its vintage character.
That’s why the owners of this bach in Manly, about 40 minutes outside of Auckland, couldn’t believe their luck when this basic bach came on the market four years ago, just as they were planning their retirement. The husband had known the old house from his childhood summer holidays at the beach, so they swooped on it. While the old place was pretty far gone, the couple approached local architectural designer David Maurice to make it comfortable without destroying its vintage character.
The couple knew Maurice had worked with older buildings before, and trusted that he would not lose the feeling of the place, while still making it more comfortable for them and their guests. “We kept coming back to three words: modest, expressive, vintage,” says the designer of the brief.
In typical style of early baches, the house had bedrooms opening off the living area, with lean to service rooms at the back. Maurice removed walls that chopped up the living spaces, added a master bathroom to the front and an enlarged guest bedroom with sitting room to the side and back.
Maurice was happy to work with the simple oblong shape and hip roof of the original house, however, his plan pushed out a flat-roofed section at the front of the bach, to enlarge the living room and open it to a new front porch (from the dotted line on the left of the plan). The semi-enclosed porch that opens off the master bedroom is sheltered with a fireplace wall.
The modest footprint, dark-stained cedar cladding and wood trim of the house echoes the other mid-century baches in the lane, which have also kept their down-home appeal. A simple boardwalk leads to the beach, with room for a petanque court on the lawn, seen in the left of this image.
A covered front porch, complete with its own fireplace, provides an outdoor sitting area when there is a crowd, and is suitable for use most of the year.
To create a master bedroom suite, Maurice pushed out a contrasting cedar box off the corner of the house behind where the porch sits, seen to the right of this image.
To create a master bedroom suite, Maurice pushed out a contrasting cedar box off the corner of the house behind where the porch sits, seen to the right of this image.
The horizontal siding and long, narrow windows mark the addition to the original house. In the background is the existing sleepout, now undergoing a stylish makeover, too.
Inside the box-like extension sits the master bedroom. French doors open off the bedroom to the covered porch and its built-in fireplace, which is perfect for winter evenings. Banks of louvre windows either side of the doors provide access to cooling breezes in the summer. The ensuite is to the left, and behind a deep blue sliding barn door.
The long horizontal windows above the bath tub were intended for privacy. But the owners couldn’t resist Maurice’s suggestion to lift the bath up on a plinth so that they can enjoy the views out to the water while she soaks.
Within the tight floor plan, Maurice tried to create separate zones within the house. The front living room, which is set beside the master suite, was pushed out from the existing house. It is distinguished by its flat roof, and has a general living area on one side, and a built-in window seat on the other which provides a cosy and private spot for one or two.
This window-seat nook is recessed beside the French entrance doors. Its bi-fold windows open to the beach, framing the view and creating a transition between indoors and out. A square window on the left looks into the covered porch and its fireplace.
Maurice says the clients had vibrant personalities and wanted to use lots of colour in their furnishings, so he deliberately created a quiet backdrop of black and white for them to decorate. The end result shows how well the relationship between designer and client worked. “There are not many projects where you feel the house expresses the clients so accurately,” says Maurice.
In the living room, the lowered ceiling and open rafters echo the rustic finishes of old baches. Maurice dropped the ceiling to give this zone a distinct, comfortable change from the rest of the room. Built-in storage below the bi-fold windows corrals any mess, and creates an impromptu sitting spot when there are many guests.
The kitchen was reorganised in the renovation, but the room was not made completely open plan. A floor-to-ceiling cupboard, with open display shelving on the dining room side, anchors the bar and separates kitchen and dining area from a second sitting room.
These spaces sit in the original part of the house. Maurice and his clients were delighted to keep much of the old matai timber flooring here, taking care to match it when there were some areas to patch up.
These spaces sit in the original part of the house. Maurice and his clients were delighted to keep much of the old matai timber flooring here, taking care to match it when there were some areas to patch up.
The grey finish of the kitchen cabinets, along with a reconstituted stone bench, makes for a stylish upgrade from the old house’s version of the kitchen. Much of the house was in pretty good shape for its age, but Maurice says that once they started to ‘pull the wool off the jumper’ as he puts it, there was a lot of on-the-spot problem solving.
The second sitting room, which also features a small study area, can be seen at the end of the kitchen.
The second sitting room, which also features a small study area, can be seen at the end of the kitchen.
Beside the kitchen island, which boasts an informal breakfast bar, the dining room and a second sitting room were opened through to the back deck, which is bathed in late afternoon sun.
During the renovation, the owner found a vintage-style pendant lamp to hang as a feature in the dining area. It also centres the strong axis from the front of the house to the back so that the whole property feels connected to the beach.
The clients and their designer were also keen to install old panelled walls, which are typical of early baches, in this area by using tongue and groove freshened with paint.
During the renovation, the owner found a vintage-style pendant lamp to hang as a feature in the dining area. It also centres the strong axis from the front of the house to the back so that the whole property feels connected to the beach.
The clients and their designer were also keen to install old panelled walls, which are typical of early baches, in this area by using tongue and groove freshened with paint.
The house was insulated throughout, with double glazing on the new joinery, but a wood-burning stove on the other side of the dining area brings a welcome cosiness, pumping out enough warmth to heat the whole house.
A corridor behind the dining area leads to the guest bedroom, which also has its own living area.
A corridor behind the dining area leads to the guest bedroom, which also has its own living area.
Creating wider openings, and adding sliding windows and doors, made this once tight space airy and welcoming for summer visitors. The large glass doors at the foot of the generous bed give guests a relaxing view out over the garden.
The second bedroom was designed as flexible space for friends and family. It has a second sitting area that opens onto the back deck.
These sofas open out to create beds, making this a flexible accommodation for extra guests.
These sofas open out to create beds, making this a flexible accommodation for extra guests.
At the sheltered back of the house, reached through the doors leading off the dining area as well as the second bedroom, Maurice repeated the simple flat-roofed form for a covered porch finished with cedar battens. It is sheltered from winds coming off the sea and gets the last of the evening sun, so is perfect for evening barbecues. The day bed gets a lot of use for summer naps.
Generous steps between the decks and lawns at front and back further help to extend the outdoor living areas, creating a perfect spot to wipe off sand from the beach before heading into the house.
TELL US
How do you like the renovation of this beach-side property? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
TELL US
How do you like the renovation of this beach-side property? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
Who lives here: A semi-retired couple and their visitors
Location: Manly, Auckland, New Zealand
Size: 147 square metres; 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and a sleepout
Architectural designer: David Maurice, LTD Architectural
Builder: Paul Dabb, Construct Building Services and Neill and Rennie Smith, Neill Smith Building
Though the original house had seen better days, the site couldn’t be bettered: cross a bit of lawn and a quiet road, and there was the beach. An old pohutukawa tree, icon of New Zealand’s summers, frames views of the sea and distant peninsula.