At a time when most 60-year-plus men are considering retirement, Malcolm Edgar doubled his workload.
He built a home, something he swore he’d never do after an earlier home-build nightmare in Sydney. Then, in the middle of this 18-month build, he quit retirement from his management career and started a textiles business because he hated being idle.
Malcolm, now aged in his late 70s, prefers to “just get on with it”, rather than over-think the “what ifs” in life. That’s exactly how he and his late wife Glenys approached this project, with a little good luck that led them to this property and put them in touch with architect Wayne Young.
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Built in 2003/2004 on their return from Sydney, this home took shape out of a three-hour meeting between Malcolm, Glenys and Wayne. “Wayne wanted to know how we lived, what we wanted, what styles we liked. He listened,” says Malcolm. Three weeks later Wayne returned with a concept plan for the home and the standalone three-car garage with an apartment above it. “I call it a discussion document,” says Wayne of those first drawings. “We tuned it all up together to deliver what they wanted.” In this case there wasn’t much fine-tuning required. Malcolm and Glenys’ only change was to extend the dining area into the veranda for a more outdoor feel.
Except for a recent interior repaint, this house is exactly as designed 16 years ago. The entrance that has accommodated a five-piece jazz band for a party is close to the informal living areas, the formal lounge and the central kitchen/dining area. This kitchen and the interior décor decisions were Glenys’ domain during the build. “The kitchen was her workshop; the garage was my workshop,” says Malcolm.
Upstairs off the well-light stairwell, the master bedroom wing with its deck looks out to the west. Past the family bathroom and the separate toilet, the three-bedroom guest wing faces east.
This is a far cry from the original 1950s wooden cottage that was relocated to Orewa to clear this site.
This home has a gentle roof pitch and ornate architectural detail from the gate to the balustrades that acknowledges the villa heritage of the neighbourhood. “They didn’t want anything too modern and this pays respect to that villa style,” says Wayne of his clients’ preferred aesthetic.
This home even fooled some of the contractors. “They would make favourable comments about the restoration job we had done, not knowing anyone would be crazy enough to build a new ‘old’ house,” says Malcolm.
Interior detail includes solid timber floors, bevelled glass/timber internal doors and black and white checkerboard tiles on the dining room floor for playing draughts or chess on. “This huge character home has been cleverly designed to accommodate a luxury family lifestyle while retaining all the character and charm that Birkenhead Point is known for,” says Travers Smyth of Harcourts.
For Malcolm Edgar, it is the Chelsea Sugar Refinery sea view off their master bedroom that he will miss most when he moves to the eastern suburbs. “I’ve taken that view for granted. I know my days of looking at this view are numbered and I’m taking a little bit more notice of it now.”
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