Grand Designs NZ: Will this new bach on an eroding beachfront defy the tide and storms? – Stuff.co.nz

REVIEW: Some people love to live dangerously. Even if it means theyre always keeping a watchful eye on the weather in case a storm is brewing out to sea. In case waves literally swamp the house.

Like the couple undertaking the beachfront build that features in the latest episode of Grand Designs NZ.

Mark and Pip Pennington have chosen to build right beside the sea on the Kpiti Coast at Paekkriki, an exposed location where coastal erosion is accelerating with climate change. You can tell its a problem just by looking at the effort put in by the locals to keep the sea out of their homes massive rock and timber retaining walls line the beach.

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Pip and Mark Pennington stand amid the detritus of the last storm to hit these Kpiti Coast shores. They hope their new gambion stone walls will stop a wall of water from hitting their new Paekkriki beach house.

And even then, the high tide comes roaring right up to the walls, which begs the question, What happens in a storm?.

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Yep, these are the builds we love to watch, and this latest one is a beauty. Grand Designs NZ presenter Chris Moller describes this slice of the coastline as a challenging place to live, not somewhere perhaps in this day and age youd think of building.

The coast is really being eaten away on a daily basis, he says. And Mark and Pip are going to be building right on the coast, almost with their feet in the water. Now, would you call that brave, or would you have to use a different word?

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There's an easy flow outdoors to a large deck facing the sea.

The couple admit the locals think theyre crazy. And right at the start of this episode, theres a shot of them scrambling back up the beach to escape a wave that rolls right up to the wall. And that was no storm surge.

Mark, an industrial designer and a mentor of Mollers, acknowledges theyre living on the edge, but he says instead of being threatening, he finds the location invigorating and exciting. Pip, a microbiologist, says shes not mad on the storms, to which Mark replies, Youve got to hold on.

Hold on to what? Each other? Your sanity? The tree?

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Chris Moller enjoys a little sun with Pip and Mark outside the main living space.

You always say exciting, and I say frightening, Pip says to Mark, who loves the wildness and the fury of the waves. Hes doing this because he wants this thrill in his life. And we get that, but do you really need the added stress of potential danger to life and property?

Now retired, these two want a warm, comfortable beach house to replace the old brick bungalow on the site. And keeping costs down is essential. So they opt for a modular build designed by architect Geoff Fletcher. Its very low-key, simple and unpretentious, a house that sits lightly on the sand dune.

Two rectangular, black-clad pavilions will be joined by a transparent linking element. The front pavilion will be elevated to float on steel poles to provide a little more height above sea level. So far, so good. Thats exactly what this site needs. It sounds like the perfect bach.

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There's a strong industrial aesthetic to the architecture, the soft furnishings make it comfortable and inviting.

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There's a lovely plywood kitchen with stainless steel benchtops, which is just what Pip ordered. The dining chairs feature recycled plastic.

The modular design is a highly efficient, sustainable approach that should keep costs down. All the modules are standardised, and Moller notes they will give the house an elegance and pared-back beauty.

Mark loves the idea of the tension between solidity of the back pavilion and lightness of the floating living pavilion that opens out to the view.

And the budget? $550,000, with a six-month time-frame. Moller is sceptical about both of those. But, unsurprisingly, hes more sceptical about the sea. The Penningtons admit during the last cyclone before the build started, the sea came over the wall and surrounded the old bach, depositing large pieces of driftwood on their front lawn.

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This is the main bedroom. The couple did not want a window on the left side, which, which would have given them a sea view.

Before work on the house starts, the builders strengthen the retaining wall on the beach with gabion blocks cages containing rocks, each weighing a tonne. Thats to stop the land (and house) washing away.

Mark is nostalgic about demolishing the old house, and even more so about removing a brick garage that is the sole-remaining link to a famous former owner renowned classical composer Douglas Lilburn, who lived there in the 50s. We hear his music played on the piano in the house by concert pianist Mary Gow (who lives in the same street), while the surf roars outside, and its a magical moment.

There are the usual hold-ups with supplies, but the build progresses well under Nick Robbers. And how cool that Mark, who designed the famous Life office chair, is ordering new dining chairs made from recycled fishing nets.

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And this is the guest suite in the back pavilion, which opens out to a private deck.

We keep seeing drone shots of the house and the sea just rolling right up towards it the house seems so small and vulnerable next to this incredible surf (on a normal day).

Moller turns up for the reveal and its all calm.

It feels like the sea is just coming right into the house, he says as he walks in. Well, hopefully not, the others joke. We hope thats not prophetic.

The house is beautiful light, architecturally minimalist and simple inside. The furnishings balance the more industrial elements. And the large outdoor room with the old fireplace beside the old garage makes a super deck. We love the idea of the core modules with the kitchen and bathrooms in the centre of the pavilion leaving long walkways on either side.

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Chris Moller gets contemplative in one of the passageways - the sea is always changing.

Pip got her plywood kitchen and stainless steel benchtop, and its perfectly bachy. Were still not sure about the wall that blocks the sea view from the main bedroom suite, however. Wouldnt it be great to be able to lie in bed and look out at that. Or maybe privacy is an issue.

A guest retreat occupies the back pavilion, and theres another deck out there, too.

They are rightly thrilled. And the budget? They went over by 20 per cent to just over $600,000.

Moller, more than once, says he feels its like a contemporary Greek temple beside the sea.

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A lone macrocarpa tree has survived the full force of the storms that come across the Tasman.

We know what could happen we know climate change increases the frequency of big storms. There WILL be a storm that breaches the retaining walls. But would we want to live there?

YES, YES, YES. We love the ideal of living on the edge in paradise.

Our bet is this home will have a lifespan in this location, and then, when things get a little too hairy (they might get 10 to 20 years), it may well get moved off to sit a little higher somewhere else.

Grand Designs NZ screens on Three on Mondays at 7.30pm

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Grand Designs NZ: Will this new bach on an eroding beachfront defy the tide and storms? - Stuff.co.nz