Derelict familly home was dream build for young marrieds back in 1966

Scroll through the photos on this property listing in Karaka Bays, Wellington, and you get a sense of just how special this house was – there are pictures taken by Douglas King of his young wife Delphine standing on the floor joists as he is building the house for their young family.

Young son Trevor is playing with a truck in the foreground in another photo. Younger sister Janine King says she finds it very emotional looking back at the photos, which remind her of a wonderful childhood with her brother and sister growing up in the house designed by renowned architect Charles Fearnley.

Fast forward 57 years and it’s a different story. The house is still in the family, but has fallen into a state of serious disrepair in the years since Douglas King died in 2014. As daughter Janine King explains: “We were dealing with probate and couldn’t do anything to the house till that was sorted. My brother stayed on living there, but he was very sick and died last month, a year after our mother died.”

Janine King says the home was very much ahead of its time when it was built. “I know it looks like something derelict now, but you can’t control what’s happening while you’re waiting for probate. When it was a family home, it was something quite special – a ranch house on poles. It was a bit cold with all those windows, but the view was amazing.

“We chose to use those photos my father took to show the journey the house has taken – this was how it started,” says King, who runs a home staging business. “We thought, we can’t stage it, so let’s tell a story about our emotional connection with it. And we have added perspectives to show how it could look in the future.

“It’s funny, but now we are selling it, I have so much respect for my father and his vision. But the access, up 64 steps was difficult. They organised a pulley system to transport all the materials up to the house.

“Someone said to me there must be a few stories under those floorboards, but the only story under the floorboards was my cat who had kittens under the house.”

Janine King’s friend, listing agent Paige Gemmell, who has known the family a long time, stepped in to help. Although she works for Ray White Orākei, she has helped the family with the marketing, while colleague John Callam in Wellington is also on hand to help.

Her listing describes the 350m² five-bedroom house as a “blank canvas” that could appeal to “land bankers, developers, architects, visionairies and house flippers”, with the Karaka Bays location holding a lot of appeal.

“It’s so private, almost like a retreat, so it would appeal to people who need that privacy, yet still want to enjoy a wonderful view,” King says.

Gemmell’s listing also says to ignore the RV of $1.37 million. She says potential buyers will take into account the need to excavate, restore and rebuild.

“Having said that, this was a very good build back in the ‘60s, Nothing was left to chance, and every building standard was followed.”

The property, at 174 Nevay Road, Karaka Bays, Wellington will be auctioned on Thursday, June 22, 2023.