A significant redesign and renovation of this seaside home by Johnston Architects and DJ Hewitt Builders with interiors by Inside-Out Design led to the creation of a breathtaking coastal retreat.

WORDS Kathy Catton PHOTOGRAPHY Sarah Rowlands and Jamie Cobel

Perched high on the hill leaving Sumner Bay heading towards Taylor’s Mistake, once sat a 1950s bungalow. But what once was a simple bungalow has now been spectacularly renovated into a home that can quite happily be described as breathtaking.

For the homeowners, it was a chance to bring their recently acquired “weekender” into the current century and turn it into a relaxed, seaside residence for the couple to enjoy.

“We noticed this property in 2019 while walking the local tracks,” says the homeowner. “Then, when it was on the market, we viewed it and fell in love with the location and the views.”

On purchasing the property, they engaged the services of Johnston Architects to view the property with the idea of carrying out some minor upgrades. But it quickly became apparent that a more significant renovation was required.

The design brief centred on creating relaxed, coastal living, aiming to replicate a ‘Cape Cod’ style of exterior architecture and interior design in a New Zealand context.

The charm and character of the Cape Cod style first began on the shores of New England, famous for its rugged and stony coastline of the Atlantic Ocean. This classic style is space efficient and free of any over-the-top ornamentation. This gives it a long-lasting homely, elegant – and even luxurious – feel.

a calm and comfortable coastal retreat, reminiscent of Cape Cod’s iconic seaside homes

“Initially we focused on extending the living room and front deck, however, this soon changed to include a full remodel of the interior, including a new kitchen, bathrooms, and upgrade of the heating and cooling systems,” explains the homeowner.

Regan Johnston of Johnston Architects concurs with this design brief, stating, “Alteration works focused on improving the physical and visual connections between the interior and exterior spaces, so the homeowners could better enjoy outdoor living and the sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean.”

Exterior works included a new copper roof, double-glazed timber windows, cedar shingles and decorative timber detailing. “The exterior features all work in harmony with the interior alterations to create a calm and comfortable coastal retreat, reminiscent of Cape Cod’s iconic seaside homes,” says Regan.

New doors and bifold kitchen windows were included in the renovation, which open out onto a large cantilevered deck. In addition, an operable louvre roof was included, as well as outdoor heaters and sliding shutters to allow the owners to enjoy this sun-drenched outdoor entertaining space in privacy.

A builder of some experience was required to undertake such an extensive and detailed renovation. Regan called on Daryl Hewitt from DJ Hewitt to complete the project. The pair have worked together on previous builds, and they enjoy the collaboration of brainstorming ideas on-site, together with the homeowners, to get the best result possible.

But being so close to the cliff and having a narrow access road, the home presented challenges for the construction team.

ENGINEERS FOR ARCHITECTURE Pocket, structural engineering practice, believes that magic happens when the engineering remains hidden. This has been masterfully achieved on this home.

“It’s a very narrow road with limited access,” explains Daryl. “We weren’t allowed any heavy trucks on site due to the weight restrictions, and there’s only room for parking three cars on the site, and a skip!”

What that meant was first-class project management and being super organised were crucial to manage all the loyal subtrades and materials. “Most materials were manhandled up the stairs and scaffolding,” adds Daryl.

Although labour-intensive, Daryl’s team rose to the challenge and worked seamlessly to deliver a charming outcome.

“At the time when we were building, the market was challenging, but having loyal subtrades, some with us for over 25 years, paid off,” says Daryl.

The whole team’s approach was encouraging and exciting, and Daryl says he is very proud of the outcome.

The talented team was also joined by Inside Out Design, with Jane Rennie and Sam Lawrence at the helm of the interior remodelling brief. The homeowners have worked on previous projects with Inside Out Design, so it was an easy decision to work with them to create the Cape Cod coastal abode.

“Our brief was to create a relaxed, comfortable retreat,” says Jane Rennie. “Initially we were tasked with the kitchen, master bedroom, ensuite and walk-in-wardrobe, but as the renovation evolved, we were then asked to consider additional spaces, such as the main bathrooms and powder room.”

Accustomed to ever-changing parameters in their work, Jane and Sam pulled on their experience of over 30 years of interior design to create a gorgeous resort-like feel to the home.

“The open plan entrance sets the stage and palette for the home,” says Jane. “Natural materials, textures and colours such as tinted whites, sand and grey tones are used throughout with accents of blue.”

The project included a lot of bespoke pieces locally crafted by talented furniture makers. Simple forms combined with natural materials and beautiful detailing.

The bathrooms have been designed to feel like rooms as opposed to service spaces. For example, the master ensuite bath has views of the ocean through shutters to while away the time.

EYE-CATCHING LANDSCAPES Texture Landscapes have a strong reputation in designing innovative landscape architecture that is functional and stylish.

“We are very proud of what we have created in this home,” say Sam and Jane. “What we give our clients and their interiors is their own story created just for them.”

The homeowners were similarly pleased with the home and the whole team who made it a reality. “We can’t speak highly enough of the special experience working with Johnston Architects, DJ Hewitt and Inside-Out Design,” says the homeowner. “A significant open-ended renovation is always a challenge, but between architect, builder, interior designer, and hopefully client, we had solutions to issues which resulted in a great outcome and experience for us – to the extent DJ Hewitt have been engaged on three further projects with us.”

This inviting and charming home is now complete of its renovation and ready for the next 100 years of its history to unfold.