- Architect Tim Dorrington is selling his Westmere home to downsize for sustainable living.
- The four-bedroom house was redesigned over 20 years, featuring a modern cedar box and roof terrace.
- Dorrington and his wife are moving to a two-bedroom house in Ponsonby for their next stage.
An award-winning Auckland architect is selling his city-fringe family home to practice what he preaches on sustainable design.
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Architect Tim Dorrington, who won a New Zealand Institute of Architects award last year for a pair of compact houses he designed in South Auckland, is selling his family home at 72 West End Road to move to a smaller place.
Dorrington and his wife, photographer Emma-Jane Hetherington, believe now is the time downsize. “We didn’t want to be rattling around in a four-bedroom home with just the two of us. It’s a family house, and if our family is not there, then we should not be either,” he told OneRoof.
The couple are off to a “mini-me” two-bedroom house in Ponsonby, and another Dorrington-designed renovation for their next stage of life.
Dorrington: “We didn’t want to be rattling around in a four-bedroom home with just the two of us." Photo / Emma-Jane Hetherington
The house boasts clear views of the harbour from the roof terrace. Photo / Supplied
Dorrington and Hetherington bought the house 20 years ago when Heatherington was pregnant with their first child, Jasper (now 19 and at university in Christchurch; their daughter finishes high school this year and will be off next year, they said).
“We just knocked on the door and went and chatted to them. They took us out to the backyard and you get this really good view looking over Cox’s Bay to the city with the Sky Tower and over the tennis courts and the park,” Dorrington said.
“We did our first renovation for the baby to come home to. My dad and I were frantically painting the house.”
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When it came to planning the renovations, Hetherington jokes that “Tim just tells me what he’s doing and I say ‘sure’.” Dorrington calls it being convincing, but both agreed that it was a tricky old house to rearrange to get both sun and views sorted.
Dorrington said that at their housewarming party, he and a mate climbed up on the roof and decided adding another floor was a must to get even more views.
As the kids grew, the house grew too. First up was a street-level double garage with stairs, creating a flattened, north-facing yard and a safe off-road spot to unload kids and store gear. The main floor was modernised and rearranged to accommodate the new kitchen, a variety of living spaces, and three bedrooms. Dorrington’s plan ensured the light and views flowed from the front of the house to the backyard, which had previously been cut off from the house.
The house and front and back yards can flex to take the crowds at the family’s annual Friendsmas dinner and for parties of up to 50 (even 80, when it was kids hosting, the couple said).
The house is full of stylish touches and was built with family living in mind. Photo / Supplied
The pad blends mid-century minimalism with refined Japanese influence. Photo / Supplied
Dorrington and Hetherington say it’s time for someone else to enjoy the house. Photo / Supplied
“It’s not the traditional bungalow renovation,” Dorrington said. “You can literally look from the front yard all the way through to the backyard where the pool is.”
The crowning touch, a new top-floor master suite with a living room/office and roof deck, went up about 15 years ago to finally grab the views first spotted at their housewarming. The most recent project was to scoop out the former basement storage into a rumpus room as the kids reached their teens.
“It’s also someone else’s turn to enjoy that house. It’s, you know, a family house with kids who can use the pool or go down to play cricket at Cox’s Bay, or use the tennis court,” Hetherington said.
“We’re Marie Kondo-ing our lives.”
Dorrington is no stranger to small space design. A pair of two-bedroom 70sqm townhouses he designed for a tight site in Ōtāhuhu – also award-winning – clocked in at a remarkable $260,000 plus GST each to build, proving his point that good design can be done on a budget.
Also on the market in Westmere is a stunning Andrew Patterson-designed home at 7 Peel Street. Photo / Supplied
“I think architects need to do more of these things and give people more options. We know how the model works. It would be quite good if 10 of them got built.”
Listing agent Jason Trowbridge, of Inner Realty, said 72 West End Road was a “let the good times roll” house.
“It has an essence about it; I can really feel it. It has just got the vibe,” he said.
“I’m really excited and thrilled because it is something so different, in such a prime location, and it is so diverse. It’s escapism at its very best.”
The West End Road property is not the only architectural gem for sale in Auckland's city fringe.
A smart two-bedroom concrete and glass house designed by architect Andrew Patterson at 7 Peel Street, Westmere, is on the market.
Patterson designed the house in 2006 for his sister and partner, bringing in his striking use of double-height studs, patios and courtyards to make the most of the garden. Ray White agent Elaine Ferguson is marketing the property, which has an RV of $4.925m.
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