housesforotherpeople,theseguysincluded,andit’s
like‘whydon’tI havemyownnicehouse?Butit’snot
forthefaint-hearted.It wasdefinitelyoneofthemost
challengingyearsofmylife.”
Thebriefwassimpleenough:a functionalhome
that’seasytomaintainbutalsoplaceslivingona
singlestorey(stairsaside).“Wehavea sixyearold,
Matilda,sowewantedalltheroomstobebasedoff
thelivingarea,”saysAlicia.“Wewerebigonutilising
theview,too.Andwewantedit tobewarm,warm,
warm– anddry.”
It’scertainlywarm.Therearefloor-to-ceiling
windowsanddoorsthroughoutbut,mostsignificantly,
inthelivingroom,whichopenstotheviewand
morningsun.Thereareradiatorsinthemainliving
area,hallwayandbedroomsanda fireboxinthelounge.
“We’reprobablywellover-speccedonheating– nothing
isonandit’swarm,”saysAlicia.
Themainchallengeonthe280-square-metre
site,whichissteepanda scalenetriangle,wasto
providelivingspacewithoutdiggingdeepfoundations
orbuildingexpensiveretaining.Theyalsoneeded
togetupashighaspossibleonthesitetoaccess
northernsun.
Buildingonsucha steepsitealsomeansthat
enveloperulesandcompliancebecomemorecomplex.
Ultimately,thebestsolutionwastopushhardandin
doingso,thearchitectslearnedthatifyoudon’task,
youdon’tget.“Ifwehadbeenmorecompliantand
justgotthetick,wewouldn’thavebeenabletodothis
atall,orgetthisexacthousewiththeroofdeck,”says
Mitchell-Anyon.“It’smilesthroughrules,butifyou
argueyourcase,yougetit.It’sjusta bitmorework.”
Theplanhasa concrete-blockcolumnasitscore,
witha 10x 10-metreplatform,whichlenttheproject
itsname– ‘10x 10’.Arounda smallcentralhall,there
aretwogenerousdoublebedrooms(themainwith
anensuite),a bunkroomforMatilda,anadditional
bathroomandanopenlivingandkitchenareathat
fullyaddressestheviewtotheeast.
Whereit touchestheground,theconcretecore
providesthehome’sentrance,a laundry,officeand
stairsleadinguptothelivinglevel.There’salsogenerous
deckingonthenorthernsideandanoutdoorplayarea
forMatilda,a smallbalconyoffthebunkroom,andthe
roofdeckabove.“Ithinkthat’soneofthebestthings
aboutthishousefromthelayout:westartedwith 280
squaremetresoflandthatwasbarelyuseable,andnow
wehavemorethanthatinflatspaces,”saysAdam.
Insideandalsoout.Andtheroofdeck,hesays,may
wellbehisfavouritepartofhisnewhome.
“Onmostdays,wecomeuphereintheevening
fora cupoftea,”saysAdam.“SometimesI standonthe
edgeandlookstraightout.TheothernightI couldn’t
seethehouseinmyperipheralvisionand, because
you’resohigh,I feltlikeI wasflying.”‘10x10’willbepartofHOMETouronSaturday
7 September. See p. 154 for more information.AboveLeftandleft
Mitchell-Anyontakes
thestairs,whichare
partconcreteand
powdercoatedsteel,
withTasmanian
blackwood-lined walls.90 HOME NEW ZEALAND