It was 1967 when the owners moved in and not much has changed since. Not Don’s finest, but a real time capsule with some familiar Cowey touches like the Pizza Hut roof & fibreglass Shoji screens inside.

…continue reading 80 Valley Rd. Kennedy House. Don Cowey.

The house that Bill built, from concrete blocks and cedar. A standout, family home on the hill, loaded with sharp angles, a hint of origami and a splash of nautical colour. Must be the nicest carport in the city.

…continue reading 134 Dyers Pass Rd. William Taurau Royal.

The Ilam cul-de-sac of Newbridge Pl is a honeypot for 60s gems. Amongst designs by Hall & Mackenzie, Warren & Mahoney and Don Cowey sits this striking family home built for a Lincoln University Professor. The main building is low pitched and concrete block, but nestles up against a two storey batten and board half-gable structure that contain the garage at a basement level and bedrooms above.

…continue reading 29 Newbridge Pl. Henderson House. Minson, Henning Hansen.

A killer hillside home built in 1967 by a practice that was instrumental in the champion of unpainted concrete blocks in Christchurch house construction – a material once reserved for cheap, commercial applications. Exceptionally maintained, this home features living, eating and cooking upstairs with sleeping underneath. A neat studio was added off the living area three years after the home was built.

…continue reading 40 Whareora Tce. Fogden House. Griffiths, Moffat & Partners

Originally set on a half-acre block with orchard trees, the home has a northerly aspect and is constructed of red brick and pine boards. It’s nice the way the big fireplace and chimney punch through the Western wall. Good stuff, Don.

…continue reading 53a Garreg Rd. E F Flood House. Don Donnithorne.