MOUNT MAUNGANUI HOUSE | COASTAL NEW-BUILD

One chapter closes, another opens. After the sale of their heritage Onehunga bungalow, our clients turned their attention to something they had long been planning - a new-build by the ocean in Mount Maunganui, designed for a slower, more coastal way of life.

The site presented its challenges. Positioned one step back from the beach among established properties, height-to-boundary constraints shaped the design from the outset. Macfie Architecture's response was a gable roof clad in James Hardie and vertical cedar — a form that works within the site's limits while giving the home a clean, considered presence on the street.

A minor excavation at ground level created a generous garage with room for the practical necessities of coastal living - cars, kayaks, bicycles — the kind of detail that makes a beach lifestyle actually work. Above, the entrance opens into an expansive open-plan living, kitchen, and dining space, with stacking doors that unfold onto the patio and garden beyond, the outdoors always within reach.

Low-maintenance, light-filled, and entirely suited to its setting. Our clients have settled into their Mount Maunganui life completely - and by all accounts, haven't looked back.

Project Scope - concept design, developed design, resource consent, building consent, on-site monitoring