- Downsizers bought an award-winning Cambridge home after a heated contest.
- The two-bedroom property, designed by architect Christopher Beer, attracted over 250 groups.
- The sale exceeded expectations, fetching above the $1.03 million RV.
Downsizers have snapped up an award-winning home hidden in the heart of Cambridge after a heated contest.
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The standout two-bedroom property, which was awarded Home of the Year in 2017 and is the work of architect Christopher Beer, had people queuing down the street eager to take a peek.
It sits on a sliver of land next to a gin distillery and a supermarket on Alpha Street in the Waikato town, and is largely hidden from view.
Bayleys listing agent Sacha Webb said it had struck a chord with a range of buyers. “People just connected. They loved it, they got it. They just loved how beautiful it was, the little green space in the middle.”
More than 250 groups took the opportunity to inspect the home during the three weeks it was on the market. “Every open home was chocka,” Webb told OneRoof.
The red bricks run from the exterior of the home right through to the interior. Photo / Supplied
A mix of natural materials, including cedar, has been used in the home to break up the plain gib plasterboard walls. Photo / Supplied
“Everyone was there [at the open homes] – it was a bit like a party.”
She said the vendors, artist Grant Jack and his teacher wife Karen, had weighed up a “handful” of offers and accepted one from a couple who are downsizing from a large lifestyle section in Waipa.
Webb declined to reveal the sale price, but said it had exceeded expectations and fetched above the RV of $1.03m. “People who put in their tenders really put in the effort to secure the property,” she said.
The vendors told OneRoof in April that they had engaged their friend Beer after buying the unusual 314sqm section. “It didn’t really look like anything, but it had a For Sale sign on it,” Grant said.
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Beer agreed the site had potential for something different. “It is kind of hard to find the perfect place in a small town, but this was interesting – for us and for Chris.”
For the first few years, Grant ran a hole-in-the-wall coffee shop from the house and a gallery, Drawings.co.nz. He has since closed both, but he has turned the front room into his studio.
Grant said the house was only 158sqm, but the way the rooms opened onto the courtyards made the property feel much bigger. “The whole place is design-led, but it’s not trying to be luxurious. The luxury is in the spaces if you like,” he said.
The red bricks, unwanted from a Tamahere retirement village project, feature on the exterior and interior walls and even in the kitchen splashback.
The unique property has a range of opportunities including running a hole in the wall coffee shop from the front of it. Photo / Supplied
What the house looks like from the street. Photo / Supplied
They used cedar in some of the walls to break up the gib board and a selection of timber and slate tiles to create a natural feel.
“We are right in town; people walking past all the time, but they can’t see in. Once you get in here, there’s lots of light – it works really well.”
He added: “When we first built, we got a lot of comments and things. People either like it or find it weird.”
Webb said the Jacks were “thrilled” with the result, which would allow the family to move to a bigger property.
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