If you would like to experience the life of the landed gentry, The McCallum Residence is the perfect place to do just that. This beautiful, grand family home was built in the 1930s and has been home to five generations of the McCallum family. It is in a very private bay on the Clevedon/Kawakawa highway just south of Auckland and sits on 4 hectares of landscaped grounds, which run all the way down to water.
The family worked closely with designers and tradespeople to retain as much of the spirit of the original home as possible. The restoration work has been painstaking. Nothing has been spared in an effort to recreate the ambience of a grand family home of that era. The furniture has been restored so that it is in many cases better than new. Old paintings have been lovingly brought back to life.
Even the original colour schemes have been faithfully matched.
Because the McCallum family were so particular in keeping to the original design of the house, they were going to install copper spouting and downpipes. But price proved to be a sticking point.
However, there was an alternative, a very good one; the Marley Stratus Design Series®. The copper coloured Typhoon® spouting and RP80® downpipes captured the desired look exactly. And they had the added benefit of not being affected by the salt spray the house is subjected to as it is so close to the water.
You want the charm and magic of yesteryear, but don’t want the drafts or antiquated plumbing. That’s what the designers had to deal with here. Without an army of servants to take care of your every need some clever planning was needed to introduce modern day standards of luxury and comfort.
The large bedrooms all now have elegant ensuites, some of which provide you with spectacular views across the grounds and out to sea while luxuriating in a deep, hot bath.
In summer, you’ll enjoy sea breezes wafting through large sash windows. In winter, you’ll be sheltered from the elements by massive concrete walls that have stood the test of time. There are nine sumptuous bedrooms, all different, all furnished with the highest quality bedding and linen, and of course with Dan the butler on call.
Restoration and renovation work is often a case of marrying the old with the new. And restoring a large manor house certainly threw up some major challenges. Yet the selection of long lasting Marley uPVC spouting and downpipes has proved to be an inspired choice.
The external brackets on the spouting perfectly match the traditional design. And the fact that it is durable and easy to clean is a huge benefit. The Typhoon® profile is big enough to cope with sudden downpours, and Marley spouting and downpipes come with a 15-year guarantee.
All of which means, it is sure to serve the McCallum Residence for generations to come!
