5 Kotae Road,
Wai o Taiki Bay
North Corp is proud to bring you their latest development with two and three bedroom townhouse options available.
Wai O Taiki Bay offers quality coastal living, right on the doorstep of Auckland City. Surrounded by nature reserves and coastal walkways, and with the cafés and restaurants of the Eastern Bay area just a few minutes away.
Features
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Architecturally designed homes
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Two and three bedroom options available with plenty of storage
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All units come with off street parking
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Freehold titles – no costly body corporates
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Locally sourced, sustainable and long lasting materials
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Fisher and Paykel appliances
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Fully landscaped and secure site
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100 metres from Wai O Taiki Bay
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5 Minutes to Glenn Innes Train Station
Raising The Bar in Wai O Taiki Bay
With the demand for housing at an all-time high, the entry-level townhouse market in Auckland has ramped up exponentially over the past 12 months, resulting in a new wave of developments about to come to market across the city – great news for buyers. Another plus for buyers is that due to this boom, developers have had to up their game in terms of delivering well-thought-out homes in sought-after suburbs by offering amenities and the latest in design and building technology.
When the team at North Corp were looking for a suitable site for their new townhouse development, these factors were front of mind, and they had a very specific list of criteria which needed to be met, says Managing Director Tom Alison.
“At NorthCorp, we understand the market and know that only the best site would work for what we have planned. For this development, we wanted to be in a city suburb on the isthmus, close to transport links in and out of the city, with good schools and amenities nearby – and close to the harbour and beaches. It also had to be affordable.
“We chose Wai O Taiki Bay, as it is the perfect up-and-coming suburb – and our site, at Kotae Road, is in a prime position, being just over a hundred metres away from main coastal walkways and reserve. Some will even get water views from the top levels of these new homes. Also, you're just a short drive or bike ride to the eastern bays of St Heliers and Kohimarama."
Kotae Road is a quiet street that leads down to a reserve and the water's edge on Wai O Taiki Bay. Number five slopes gently down from the street, which has allowed the developers to accommodate a mix of nine, two- and three-bedroom townhouses along the length of the site. Three homes are on the street front, with the remaining six stepping down the site. There is also one dedicated off-street park per house, tucked behind the first row of homes.
To help North Corp realise its vision, it took on the services of BuildBIM, an experienced team of over 35 multidisciplinary construction professionals specialising in the management and development of functional design and construction models. The design lead on Kotae Road is Guy Morris.
“For the homes at Kotae Road, we wanted to create a strong feeling of ownership for the residents who will live in this development. Visually, the gable forms of the facades reinforce the sense of ‘home’ and ensure that each unit has its own identity, roof and front door,” explains Morris. “The block of three houses that address the street create an urban edge in a suburban context. Low fencing to the street encourages community interaction in the neighbourhood and builds a sense of belonging. The six houses to the rear are orientated east-west, enhancing morning sun in the kitchen and afternoon sun in the rear courtyard areas. The first-floor bedrooms will get sea views to the East.”
For the exterior colourways, Morris’ team selected a light, neutral palette that encourages individuality and enhancement by setting off the landscape elements provided as part of the development.
In terms of the interiors, they all have tried-and-tested layouts that work well for couples or a small family unit, says Alison. There’s open-plan living on the ground floor, with good indoor-outdoor access to a covered deck and garden, plus two or three bedrooms and one or two fully tiled bathroom options upstairs. This appeals to the resident, regardless of whether the owner is an occupier or an investor.
"We did some market research on similar developments that are currently being built, and typically, there is literally no storage in any of these styles of units, so we decided to try and focus on making sure we were maximising areas that we've used. For example, we have provided ladder access into the loft on the upper level to give storage in the whole roof space for suitcases and stuff that is only used occasionally. There are also dedicated linen cupboards – not in your wardrobes but in the hallway itself. In addition, we've put the hot-water cylinder underneath the stairs, rather than outside, which is typical. And we've taken the washing machine out of the kitchen, which is also typical of what's getting done a lot these days, and put it into this underutilized space, too.
The three townhouses on the street front are 65sqm, and the rear six are larger at 83sqm. On the street front, they are configured as two-bedroom and one bathroom; at the rear, they are three-bed, 1.5-bathrooms or two-bed, two bathrooms. So, there are plenty of choices, depending on your needs.
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“The L-shaped, wall-based kitchens, which come with stone benchtops and Fisher & Paykel appliances, maximise the floor area, allowing flexibility for the remainder of the ground floor, which can be furnished in several ways. This keeps the living areas very open and enhances the feel of a space that feels generous,” says Morris. “Along with two double bedrooms, the first-floor layouts vary, with a choice of either two bathrooms and a study/media nook on the stair landing, or an extra bathroom and more storage along with a study room with skylight.”
The double bedrooms are as good if not better than you would typically find in this level of home, adds Alison. “They are wider by about 300mm, which may not sound a lot, but where space is premium, it's significant – room for a walk-in wardrobe, for example. The third bedroom is more of a single bedroom, nursery, or a work-from-home space.”
There is so much built-in adaptability in these houses, offering homeowners much more than many of the other cookie-cutter homes currently on the market; something Alison says will appeal to any number of potential homeowners, including first-time buyers.
All the units have protected patio areas, which the designer cleverly covered by cantilevering the top of the building over. Essentially, you could have a coffee table or a reading area protected by the bedroom above,” says Alison. “The gardens will be landscaped, but minimally, because we don't want to dictate how people will use their outdoor spaces. We will provide a tree in each back yard and some hedging and fencing to give privacy from the neighbours, but we have left enough there for people to put their own personality on it, whether that’s a table and chairs or a trampoline.”
All six houses have a northwest-facing garden and large windows and doors – perfect for all-day sun and natural light, especially during the winter. The homes are all fully insulated with double glazing.
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Finally, Alison says that although the homes at Kotae Road will all be freehold, North Corp will put in place a framework for a residence association, which will include provisions for maintenance and the upkeep of the communal spaces and exterior of the buildings and the grounds.
