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Celia has lived in Island Bay since 1983. The house captured her imagination because of its sea views - south to the South Island and north into Island Bay beach. To start with it was a solid Beazley home - but poorly insulated. An unflued gas heater led to condensation pouring down the windows in winter and the floors were draughty.

The first change was to double glaze the south-facing windows and replace the gas fire. Over the years, the drive-on access was replaced with native coastal planting and the house had an upstairs room added on. To reduce maintenance, macrocarpa and colour-steel were used outside.

Inside it's recycled floorboards, recycled furniture and some pieces inherited from her father. Alastair and the teenage boys are the main wood-choppers though Celia can swing an axe herself if necessary.

The clothes hanger in the sitting room is good for when it rains and rains. It can be tidied away for special occasions. The heat that goes up to the ceiling is circulated round the office and two bedrooms by a heat transfer unit that has an 80 watt fan that comes into operation once the temperature reaches 20 degrees at the ceiling. 

Having a set of doors between the main living areas and the front door to the south reduces noise and draughts. 

Garden

Recently we've installed a rainwater bladder under the macrocarpa deck that is used for outdoor watering and for flushing the toilets. 5,750 litres should be useful for our street in case of an emergency too.

Our garden's a mix of natives, food plants, flowers and some difficult weeds!