Modern House Design NZ — A Contemporary Coastal Home Built to Last Centuries

Modern beach house for sale NZ — Hebel block walls, German double-glazed windows, and solar hydronic underfloor heating across 33 zones. An eco home designed for the coast and built to outlast the century.

European Systems

What's Behind These Walls

Armando Faes
Built To Last

Where the Design BeginsModern Beach House for Sale — Where Architecture Meets the Pacific

How do you build a modern beach house that belongs to this coastline — not just sits on it? European engineering, biophilic design, and a principle that puts the 16 waking hours first.

Aerial view of the Bay House ridgeline above Waimarama
192 metres above sea level, engineered into the hillside.

Built Into The Hill

Aerial view of the Bay House ridgeline above Waimarama
192 metres above sea level, engineered into the hillside.

Built Into The Hill

Aerial view of the Bay House ridgeline above Waimarama
192 metres above sea level, engineered into the hillside.

Built Into The Hill

What a Contemporary Home on This Coast Feels Like

Modern house living — where architecture and landscape become one.

Bare feet on warm Tasmanian Oak. Morning light through glass that stretches nine metres without a frame. The atrium's thermal mass releasing yesterday's sun while native birds move through the thousand trees outside. A contemporary home where every surface, every view, every breeze was designed in.

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Hours of Living Shaped Every Room

Not Timber Frame. Not Standard. Not Negotiable.Modern House Design NZ — Reinforced Hebel, German Glazing, Deep Foundations

Most NZ homes are timber-framed. This modern house design uses 200mm reinforced Hebel block, German Koemmerling windows, and a 500mm ring beam — European methods, coastal execution.

Panoramic sweep of Waimarama Beach from the Bay House deck
270 degrees of uninterrupted Pacific coastline — the defining view.

270 Degrees Of Silence

European Materials. New Zealand Coastline.

A modern house built with methods most NZ builders have never used.

200mm reinforced Hebel block — not timber frame. German Koemmerling double-glazed windows — not aluminium. A 500mm steel-reinforced ring beam — not standard top plate. Every structural decision at this contemporary home followed European construction principles. The Quantity Surveyor certifies the rebuild at $6.3 million.

Bay House kitchen island in Salu-Salu timber
Chef's kitchen — La Cimbali, Miele, wood-fired pizza oven.

Designed For A Chef

Bay House kitchen island in Salu-Salu timber
Chef's kitchen — La Cimbali, Miele, wood-fired pizza oven.

Designed For A Chef

Bay House kitchen island in Salu-Salu timber
Chef's kitchen — La Cimbali, Miele, wood-fired pizza oven.

Designed For A Chef

Structural Integrity

The three engineering decisions that make Bay House cyclone-rated and earthquake-resilient.

01
Hebel Block: Autoclaved concrete reinforced with steel mesh
02
Footings: 900mm deep engineered foundations
03
Wind Rating: Tested to 220km/h cyclone conditions

How Bay House Was Built

From bare hilltop to finished sanctuary. Every stage done right.

The Site A bare hilltop at the end of Timoti Road. No platform, no services, no road — just the view. That was enough.
The Engineering Geotechnical investigation, platform design, stormwater systems, consents. Years of paperwork before a single block was laid.
The Walls Hebel blocks — 200mm of reinforced autoclaved concrete. Not timber framing. European thinking on a New Zealand coast.
The Detail 293 metres of service ducts. 115 custom light boxes. Tongue-and-groove ceilings sanded, bleached, and sealed by hand. Twice.
The Planting Over 1,000 native trees and shrubs. A landscape built from scratch to shelter, screen, and belong to the hill.
The Result 590 square metres. Three wings. Fully furnished. A Quantity Surveyor values the rebuild at $6.3 million. European standards applied to every decision.

Six Wings. One Horizon.Contemporary House Plans — Six Wings, 16/8 Living, 382m² of Deck

Six interconnected wings, each with its own entrance and view. Contemporary house plans built around the 16 hours you're awake — not the 8 you sleep.

Aerial view of the Bay House ridgeline above Waimarama
192 metres above sea level, engineered into the hillside.

Built Into The Hill

Aerial view of the Bay House ridgeline above Waimarama
192 metres above sea level, engineered into the hillside.

Built Into The Hill

Main House Floor Plan

Six wings. One open floor. See how it all connects.

Site Plan — 1.5 Hectares

See how the wings, gardens, and guest house sit on the land.

Guest House Floor Plan

68m² of independence. See the layout.

Elevation Profile

192 metres above the ocean. See the height advantage.

Bay House kitchen island in Salu-Salu timber
Chef's kitchen — La Cimbali, Miele, wood-fired pizza oven.

Designed For A Chef

Bay House kitchen island in Salu-Salu timber
Chef's kitchen — La Cimbali, Miele, wood-fired pizza oven.

Designed For A Chef

Bay House kitchen island in Salu-Salu timber
Chef's kitchen — La Cimbali, Miele, wood-fired pizza oven.

Designed For A Chef

A Modern House Built Like No Other in New Zealand

590m² contemporary home — six wings, European construction, biophilic design.

590 square metres across six interconnected wings on a 1.5-hectare hilltop. Reinforced Hebel block walls, German-engineered glazing, passive solar atrium, and 382m² of wrap-around deck. A modern house designed around nature, light, and the 270-degree Pacific horizon.

382 Square Metres of Deck. Every Direction.

A timber promenade that wraps the entire house.

382 square metres of timber deck wraps almost the entire house — fastened with 14,000 screws at 45 degrees for a seamless surface. Step out from every wing into its own light, shelter, and view. Sunken garden beds keep the horizon unbroken.

Heated by the Sun. Cooled by the Breeze.Passive Solar Home — The Glass-Roofed Atrium That Heats Itself

Dark ceramic tiles absorb solar energy by day, release warmth by evening. Eight motorised roof vents enable cross ventilation. A passive solar home designed for the climate, not against it.

Aerial view of the Bay House ridgeline above Waimarama
192 metres above sea level, engineered into the hillside.

Built Into The Hill

Bay House kitchen island in Salu-Salu timber
Chef's kitchen — La Cimbali, Miele, wood-fired pizza oven.

Designed For A Chef

Bay House kitchen island in Salu-Salu timber
Chef's kitchen — La Cimbali, Miele, wood-fired pizza oven.

Designed For A Chef

Bay House kitchen island in Salu-Salu timber
Chef's kitchen — La Cimbali, Miele, wood-fired pizza oven.

Designed For A Chef

Atrium — Passive Solar Design

The sun heats the floor by day. The floor heats you by night.

Dark ceramic tiles absorb solar energy by day and release warmth through the evening — 2 to 5 degrees above adjacent rooms. Insulated doors allow zone control. Eight motorised roof windows enable full cross ventilation.

A Room Made of Light

German-engineered glass overhead, the Pacific beyond.

The Atrium sits between kitchen and lounge — open to the sky, warm underfoot. By evening the stored heat rises gently from the slab. No heater needed.

Passive Design. Active Comfort.

The house earns most of its warmth before a heater switches on.

200mm Hebel walls hold temperature year-round — no cavity, no thermal bridging, no heat loss through framing. 140mm of enclosed roof insulation sits above. Flying roof overhangs shade the glass in summer, admit low sun in winter. Passive solar homes work when every surface contributes, not just one room.

Off the Mains. Not Off the Grid.Eco Homes for Sale NZ — 90 Solar Tubes, 120,000 Litres of Rain

Ninety solar tubes feed a 1,500-litre thermal cylinder for hot water and underfloor heating. Over 120,000 litres of rainwater underground, filtered and UV-treated. A sustainable house that harvests its own water and heats it with the sun.

Aerial view of the Bay House ridgeline above Waimarama
192 metres above sea level, engineered into the hillside.

Built Into The Hill

Aerial view of the Bay House ridgeline above Waimarama
192 metres above sea level, engineered into the hillside.

Built Into The Hill

Water Independence

No council water. No dependency. Just rain, filters, and UV.

Over 120,000 litres across five underground tanks, fully filtered and UV-treated to drinking standard. The water feature holds 11,000 litres as backup for irrigation or firefighting. No council water. Ever.

Solar & Heating

Silent warmth. 33 zones. Powered by the sun.

Evacuated tubes 0

Solar thermal — heats 1,500 litres of hot water daily.

Heating zones 0

German hydronic underfloor — independently controllable, silent, efficient.

Manifolds 0

Professional distribution — each wing independently controlled.

Sustainability Questions

Solar. Water. Passive design. The honest answers.

German hydronic underfloor heating across 33 zones with 6 manifolds, primarily solar-powered. Three open fireplaces supplement. The atrium's passive solar design adds 2–5°C in evenings. Heat pump upgrade recommended for maximum efficiency.

Completely. Over 120,000 litres in five underground tanks with full filtration and UV treatment. No council water needed.

90 evacuated tubes heat 1,500 litres of hot water daily. The system powers the hydronic underfloor heating across all zones.

200mm Hebel walls provide excellent thermal insulation. The atrium acts as a passive solar heat sink. 140mm roof insulation with no empty roof cavity. Cross-ventilation via Koemmerling tilt-and-turn windows.

The Answers Are in the BuildArchitecturally Interesting Home for Sale — Your Questions Answered

Construction, sustainability, and everything a buyer of an architecturally interesting home needs to know — answered directly by the owner who managed every stage of this build.

Panoramic sweep of Waimarama Beach from the Bay House deck
270 degrees of uninterrupted Pacific coastline — the defining view.

270 Degrees Of Silence

A Modern Beach House Between Two Coastlines

Contemporary coastal living — eight minutes to the sand.

Waimarama Beach is eight minutes south. Ocean Beach ten minutes north. Havelock North's wineries and restaurants, twenty. This modern beach house sits on the Hawke's Bay coast — sun, surf, and a hilltop that sees both beaches but belongs to neither.

Modern House. Turnkey. Move In Tomorrow.

Fully furnished contemporary home — over 270 chattels, no agents.

This architecturally interesting home is offered fully furnished — Miele professional kitchen, curated interiors, over 270 documented chattels included. Energy efficient systems operational. Private sale by the owners. Enquiries over NZ$4.5M.

Explore Luxury Living

590m² of space. 325m² of glass. Every detail considered.

590m² of space. 325m² of glass. A chef's kitchen. Six bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, separate guest house. Every detail considered.

Arrange a Private Viewing

No agents. No open homes. Just an honest conversation.

Bay House is offered by private sale. No agents, no pressure — just a conversation with the owners about an extraordinary property.

Discover Hawke's Bay

Wine. Coast. Sunshine. The full investment story.

New Zealand's sunniest region. Wine, food, beaches, culture — and the full investment story.