90 | BUILDING Canterbury: Shane Vickery Tranquil Cass Bay build Shane and Nicole Vickery stripped the whole house out and turned it around to create an open plan living area facing the beach. Kim Newth Once through the Lyttelton road tunnel, it’s only a short drive to pretty Cass Bay. It feels like a world away from busy city streets over the hill. Shane and Nicole Vickery have always loved spending time with their family in this beautiful place. In 2018, they bought a home at Cass Bay and have since completely transformed it to make the most of the idyllic location. “We were here for 18 months before we worked out that our house, which had been built in 1966, was turned the wrong way,” says Shane. “There was no great indoor/outdoor flow and the bedrooms were closer to the water than the living area. We decided to strip the whole house out and turn it around so we could have an open plan living area facing the beach. “We sketched the proposed floor layout that we wanted and then MC Architecture Studio designed it all and did all the plans. I project managed the construction with Peter Grant Builders.” Stripping walls inside and out enabled the home to be fully insulated. Abodo eco-timber cladding was selected for the exterior envelop. Part of this ambitious project involved an extension to add on a new garage next to the old one, with the old garage then re-worked into a new entranceway. Defining the new entry is a sculptural Corten steel portal, standing in bold contrast to soft vertical timber on one side and a hard tiled roof and wall on the other. Through the portal is a relaxing gallery area with an Elton sofa from Kovac, purposely placed to encourage quiet appreciation of the space and its local art pieces. These include a Yamaha have perfected home cinema... Experience theNEW YAMAHARX-A8A instore today. Did youalso know?We can SUPPLY | INSTALL | AUTOMATE it. Visit ourwebsite formore. 330StAsaphStreet Christchurch033777299 www.listeningpost.co.nz work by notable landscape artist Nathanael Provis and a sculptural globe depicting Banks Peninsula by mixed media artist Luke Calder. From there, a single stairwell descends into the house, leading down to the large open plan living area and the beach beyond. The internal layout has been cleverly terraced with the contours of the site and for maximum access to sea views. A turning part-way down the stairs leads to a bedroom wing and media room and, at a level below the living area, is another studio. With rustic concrete island and butler’s pantry, the home’s stylish new kitchen faces out to the Cass Bay vista. Timber and natural tones, along with exposed structural steel bracing beams, add to the relaxed yet chic beach vibe in the open plan living area. From the main lounge, stacker sliders open right out onto decking where there is a bar, sunken barbecue and fridge for effortless outdoor entertaining. The home’s decks are arranged thoughtfully with end uses in mind, and terraced with the land. This has been a big two-year project and Shane is still adding the finishing touches, such as adding feature walls inside and doing landscaping around the house. “Like any renovation project, it has had its moments. We have had to contend with the two C’s, COVID and Nicole was diagnosed with breast cancer just before we started. She insisted we go ahead and the renovation ended up being a good distraction while she underwent treatment. Nicole has made a full recovery and we feel incredibly fortunate to be in a position to enjoy our dream home.”
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