Overwhelmingly I find it easier to read stuff if the text is really big I am not sure why. I have to turn the page more often, but that doesn’t really bother me. With the Kindle I make the font gigantic. As a teenager I was reading my dad’s hand me down copy, which had tiny text on fairly small pages. I don’t think that I’ve gotten appreciably smarter than I was in high school, and I realized that the only really different variable is the font size. I eventually assumed I was too dumb to understand it, and that it’s just not for me.įast forward about 13 years, and I decide to give the book a try again, this time on the Kindle, and I surprisingly was able to get through it really quickly and didn’t have any issues understanding it. In high school, I remembered that I really struggled to read The Once and Future King, and I never finished it. We worked in collaboration with architectural designer, Martin Harnish, from Warkworth, on the design elements of the structure.I am kind of the opposite I have found it much easier to read on Kindle simply because I can make the text as big as I want. Understand the cost and time drivers of the project to ensure you enjoy the build and to avoid any surprises or disappointments. Collaborate with the right design and trades people. Have a comprehensive vision of what you want. What is your advice for somebody trying to achieve a similar look?

The vaulted ceilings in the main upstairs living area, master bedroom and Wendy’s studio which also features internal and external floor-to-ceiling windows.

The bathrooms, and the master ensuite in particular which we designed with two quite separate vanities.

The splashback features Wendy’s painting ‘Kuaotunu’ printed on the back of the glass.

The white kitchen, which has a five-metre island bench and a scullery.Also from the front door through the house out to sea. The view right through the house from the pool out to sea.We love the whole package but we are particularly pleased with: What part of the house are you most happy with and why? We also used Resene X-200 on the offset concrete block cladding, which is a thick paint known for its protective and water-proofing qualities. It also has a profile that’s clean-lined so suits the house.

We had to consider the coastal environment too, so choosing exterior components like the white spouting which won’t corrode or degrade from the salt air, was important.

The retaining walls and piles involved some serious engineering. It was quite a technical build as the house has essentially been built on a sand dune. How did the build go and what where the challenges? One room of the house where colour is celebrated – the owner’s purpose-designed art studio. Much of the furniture is black and the colour accents in the décor are lime green, orange and aqua. The couple’s love of white continues inside, the walls and ceilings painted in Resene Half Black White.

The window joinery is white even the spouting and downpipes are a Kiwi favourite – Marley Typhoon ® spouting and Marley RP80 ® downpipes in white. The only colour on the exterior is a flash of lime green on the front door, in Resene Wellywood. With its large eaves, gabled form, verandahs, and corrugated iron roof, the house sits perched in a stunning location looking out over the estuary, sand dunes and ocean. Crisp, elegant and beautifully detailed, the house borrowed architectural references from both the coastal homes of the Mediterranean, as well as classic New Zealand houses. When Colin and Wendy planned a house to replace their old 1950s Mangawhai Heads bach, they had a very clear vision from the outset.

Glass door calibre systems