This wonderfully, private, modern country home at 34 Quinn Road in Mauku, Franklin was beautifully designed and built to have a strong, eco-friendly connection to nature, the bush and the farmland which make up this 15.1-hectare country estate.
“It’s almost like a retreat. You feel like you’re in a sanctuary, so connected to nature,” one of its owners, John, says.
Firefighter John and his wife Tonia, who’s a naturopathy student, bought this land in 2007.
They were finishing off renovating an old villa south of Pukekohe when they bought here, so for the first couple of years of their ownership got to know this land by camping here with their children.
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“There is some beautiful mature bush so the property absolutely teems with birdlife. And a council worker also showed us we have some native bats who come out to feed on moths at night.”
Their architect, Vince Abela, suggested their favoured camping spot would be perfect for their eco-friendly, modern country home, completed circa-2014.
They hand-selected large macrocarpa beams from local MacDirect Sawmill to accent the residence.
They’re delighted with the 386sqm single level, cedar-clad home Harry van der Putten exactingly created for them.
It features large, crossed macrocarpa beams at the gable ends of the exterior and as feature internal beams running along the apex of the kitchen-dining and master bedroom’s cathedral ceilings.
They’re located in a friendly community close to the growing village of Patumahoe and its much-loved primary school, nearby to Pukekohe township and with easy motorway access.
Their driveway journeys through picturesque stands of native trees to arrive at the American-style larch barn they’d envisage they might develop further, and then the home.
A boardwalk entry arrives at the attractive home which respects the environment with solar roof panels, eco wool insulation and sustainable water and wastewater systems.
An entry foyer introduces the north-facing layout featuring American oak flooring.
The outlook across lawn to beautiful native bush is celebrated with large picture windows in the spacious kitchen-dining room with scullery and high ceiling and in the neighbouring lounge with Viking wetback.
There are covered decks under the eaves at both ends of the home, with living also flowing out to a central louvre-roofed deck featuring an outdoor fireplace.
The bedroom wing features a master bedroom with ensuite, an ensuited guest bedroom, three further bedrooms and a family bathroom. It also includes a rumpus area or studio space. A separate laundry and internal-access double garage complete the layout.
The well-fenced 11-paddock farm with bore and stock yards is suited to beef, sheep and equestrian grazing.
These owners have planted 500-600 trees a year to underpin the native bush and improve a wetland.
They are selling to live closer to family but John says “I honestly wish I could pick up this property and take it with us.”
Bayleys agent Ben Jameson, who is marketing the property with colleague Shona Brown, says, “This beautifully built, eco-friendly country home blends into its rural setting with farmland, bush and nature on its doorstep to create a premium lifestyle estate.”
34 Quinn Road in Mauku, Franklin goes to auction on September 28.
