Four striking A-frame homes owned by a 98-year-old landlord with a "heart of gold" have been snapped up following a nine-month search.
Worx Real Estate agent Bronwyn Abbott told OneRoof that an investor had bought the properties on Terry Street, in Auckland's Blockhouse Bay, but declined to say if they sold for the asking price of $1.75 million.
The RV for the 1697sqm site was $2.4m.
The homes were the creation of Abbott's grandfather-in-law Colin Watson, who first started building them 60 years ago and only decided to sell after moving into a retirement home.
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Stepson John Abbott told OneRoof in February that Watson hired a Danish-born architect working in Auckland at the time to design the A-Frames.
Watson, who worked as a mental health nurse, built the first one for Abbott and Abbott's mother to live in.
Watson built the A-frames himself with the help of a labourer. They were designed by a Danish architect 60 years ago. Photo / Supplied
“He eventually built the other three as an income. And that’s what he did progressively over the next few years as finance became available and he got an income from them,” he said, adding that his stepfather built them himself using only a labourer to help out.
“They were built with pretty good quality materials. Colin was always a bit of a pioneer. They’re pretty substantial. He used what was called a board made from compressed wood wool and concrete.”
Abbott said of his stepfather: “Colin was a bit of a philanthropist, and he charged the tenants minimum rent on the basis that they would be happy to stay [in the home] as long as possible. The tenant at number four has been there for over 20 years. His children have grown up in that unit. A lot of the others have been there for a long, long time.”
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Bronwyn Abbott agreed: “The tenants always ask me how Colin is doing. They have a fondness for him.”
A-frame homes became popular in New Zealand in the 1960s and 1970s, especially in holiday towns. They proliferated in coastal and ski towns, including Mt Ruapehu, Coromandel, Queenstown Lakes, Northland and various other popular destinations of the day.
However, there are also some very unique A-frame homes currently for sale in Auckland, including a two-bedroom A-frame home at 362 Wright Road, Dairy Flat, with significantly more glass than the standard design.
The home, which has an asking price of $1.35m, is being marketed as a property that could be “demolished or transformed”. Barfoot & Thompson agents Queenie Ling and Lily Zhang described 362 Wright Road in their listing as “a unique art piece” in “do-up condition”.
A spectacular A-frame home on 5.15ha in Auckland's Dairy Flat is looking for a buyer willing to spend $1.35m. Photo / Supplied
The listing for 362 Wright Road says the house "awaits its destiny - to be demolished or transformed". Photo / Supplied
336 Huia Road, Titirangi, in Auckland, appeared in a tense episode of Shortland Street in 2024. Photo / Supplied
Meanwhile, a TV-famous A-frame home in Auckland’s Titirangi that appeared in an infamous episode of Shortland Street is also looking for a new owner. The "love triangle" home hidden among Kauri trees doubled as a fictional Airbnb in a 2024 episode of the hit Kiwi soap opera.
However, in the real world, 336 Huia Road is very much intact and is a striking four-bedroom 1970s home hidden among towering kauri trees.
The vendors bought the home in 2016 for just under $1m. “For us, it’s a very special house. We purchased it a month after getting married, and our two babies were born there. It’s a very well-built house that has definitely looked after us over the years,” one of the sellers told OneRoof in June this year.
“We love the feeling of being amongst the kauri trees. We recognise that they’ve been there for hundreds and hundreds of years, and that in itself is quite powerful. You don’t feel like you’re in Auckland when you’re home.”
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