Trends New Zealand Trends Volume 32 No 5 New Zealand | Page 96

Refined and
peaceful
This ornate Cape Cod-style home responds
to its classic inspirations and its setting
Choosing the right design for a house
in a beautiful seaside setting can be tricky.
One option is to consider the look of
coastal homes popular in other countries.
The owners of this high-end seaside
home had lived in an existing house on the
same property for years and had considered building a modern home on the site.
However, they fell in love with a CapeCod-look house on their travels. So when
it came time to build afresh, they asked
house designer Mark Wilson to create a
warm, solid and quiet home in this style.

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“Where a traditional Cape-Cod home
would be constructed in timber, this house
is built in solid, noise-proof concrete, then
over clad in weatherboard,” says Wilson.
The double-structure is not only quiet,
it’s also highly durable, creating a home
that will look its best for generations.
As well as the classic weatherboards,
the house also has all the other features
of a Cape Cod home. These include eyebrow and round windows, dormers, and
detailed frieze board mouldings; as well
as sprocket eave extensions, small-paned

windows, circular columns and the timber
shingled roof. In addition, the copper
downpipes are intended to verdigris over
time for a sense of history – a process that
has been hastened by the salt-laden sea air.
Adding to its grandness, the house has
a verandah running around most sides –
this is perhaps more of a Hamptons touch.
In another departure, a Cape Cod
home might have a fairly square footprint.
Here the constraints of the site, which doglegs around another property, means it
only really opens up at the beachfront end.