The real estate agent who bought the bach that wouldn't sell - Property News AU/NZ | propertynoise.co.nz & propertynoise.com.au

PHOTO: Bronwyn with her three dogs, from left, Benji, Lola and Ewok

According to STUFF one of the occupational hazards of being a real estate agent must surely be seeing many houses that you’d love to own yourself.

Real estate agency owner Bronwyn Kay hadn’t given much thought to the old blue and white bach and its crazy garden that had sat on the Wainui Beach site next to her for 27 years, until she was commissioned to sell it. She struggled with buyers who couldn’t envisage its potential, so she bought it herself.

The intention was to tart up the bach and be happy. The renovation began with a new kitchen and paint job but when the builder came to look at the piles it was clear “the old bach was swinging in the wind and needed to come down”.

“I was heartbroken,” says Brownyn. “I loved the old place but I had to listen to the builder. And now there are no regrets.”

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She moved quickly, engaging local architectural designer Shane Kingsbeer. The plans and layout were literally drawn in the sand on the beach in front of the property to Bronwyn’s simple brief: A house that you could move through freely with a view from back to front.

It needed to cater for her life at the beach and her three dogs, Ewok, Lola and Benji.

She wanted it to feel like a studio apartment with a mix of Italian and New York styling. Having spent 42 years in the real estate industry and seen so many homes, she knew exactly what she was after.

**JANE USSHER/NZ HOUSE & GARDEN.** Bronwyn Kay replaced the tangled garden that surrounded the original Gisborne bach with mostly native plants that cope well with wind and sea spray. Right, Bronwyn with her three dogs, from left, Benji, Lola and Ewok; the artwork was created by Bronwyn to match the golden tones in the vintage Moroccan rug sourced through local store The WorkShop; along with the blue hand-painted lamp, it creates an atmospheric sunset-like glow at night.

JANE USSHER/NZ HOUSE & GARDEN. The polished concrete floor was finished by Hard Yards with help from concrete colouring company Peter Fell and chosen for its low maintenance in a house of three dogs; the dining table is from Madisons in Napier.

The 198m² house took longer than intended to build and budgets were blown, but Bronwyn relishes the collaborative relationship she had with Shane and her builder Brendan Fry.

“There were so many facets of the house Brendan had never done before but I was pretty pedantic about what I wanted and he listened to me every step of the way and made these things happen. He made it work. I got the house I wanted in the end.”

JANE USSHER/NZ HOUSE & GARDEN. The view of the Pacific Ocean can be seen through the house; sculptural plants give an understated bach feel.

Important design decisions were made to suit the section and the environment. The site was excavated down by a metre so that the house nestles into the land and is on one level, with no stairs to navigate.

Bronwyn pushed for a virtually flat, unseen roof. “It’s just a three-degree pitch that allows the roof to be flat and unseen but still functional, practical and suits the aesthetic of the house.”

JANE USSHER/NZ HOUSE & GARDEN With so much natural light, the home needed a long, cool stretch of wall away from direct sunlight where artwork could be displayed – the central hall is the perfect place.

Bronwyn wanted the interiors to not only reflect her style but also complement her lifestyle. “I would travel a lot, on holiday or for work, and would stay at other beach properties or resorts. Now when I am out of town, I think how much better my house by the beach is than the posh resorts.”

The house has a meditative beachy feel which Bronwyn describes as “Wainui Scandi with driftwood and sand”, featuring textures and colours echoing the environment. These include a white oak panelled feature wall and a timber benchtop in the kitchen. The Abodo cladding has a weathered look with tones reminiscent of driftwood