Standing on the section for the first time I had the idea that we could build a house either side of the stream then connect it together with a glass bridge spanning the waterway. We really liked the concept of working with the section to maximise its natural assets instead of working against them to create a unique home. So making the stream a central feature really appealed.

I mean it’s not everyday you find a section in the middle of Auckland that has a stream running through the middle of it while being surrounded by mature native bush full of tuis, wood pigeons and  bellbirds. It’s so incredibly unique. Apparently prospective purchasers in the past had been trying to cover the stream over and clear a lot of the trees. It seemed absurd to both Kylie and I. And a wasted opportunity.

Ideas quickly flowed out and onto the pages of my notebook while we sat at the beach trying to figure out if we could build something quite different to what other people had been considering. Within about an hour we had a pretty decent plan on paper. We had the kitchen, dining and living areas on the sunniest side of the stream, opening out towards the water and bush beyond, while slipping three bedrooms and two bathrooms below the bush canopy on the opposite side. But we still had no idea if you’d be allowed to build across a stream.

Here are some of the first sketches we did of a possible house.