Take one challenging corner site, add a clever design, put it in the hands of a talented building team, and what have you got? A recipe for success. This 218sqm sun-trap built by Belco Homes has three bedrooms, two bathrooms and everything the clients were looking for: a relaxed lifestyle, options for easy entertaining, wall space for art and a low-maintenance exterior. All this despite a tricky platform that needed 4m sliced off before construction could begin. Everything had to be carried up the steep driveway by hand. The exterior — copper-hued aluminium and concrete panels rendered in a plaster — is easy care and durable.Solar panels have been positioned on the monopitch roof, and double-glazed windows and good insulation trap warmth. No Ōmokoroa sunshine is wasted here. There’s no need to feel hemmed in, either, thanks to a soaring living-room ceiling and three outdoor living areas. A rendered plaster feature wall frames the fireplace, but there’s still plenty of wall space to exhibit the owner’s art. Natural light pours in through skylights, full-height glazing and, in the garage, a plexiglass door. Rooms are flexible: the laundry doubles as a utility room and one bedroom becomes an office. This house has it all.