It does feel like a resort. It is definitely a pinch me moment.
On the rural fringe of Hamilton, a home conceived as a private sanctuary and built to award-winning standards is preparing to test the limits of what the Waikato property market will bear. Designed by architect Renee Woods and shaped by a family's vision of the barefoot Kiwi dream, the estate at Horsham Downs represents not merely a transaction but a question about how we value space, craft, and the freedom that land affords. That the family now sells not out of regret but out of a quiet reckoning with time and capital speaks to a deeper truth: even the most considered dwellings are, in the end, chapters rather than conclusions.
- A regional sale record of $4.21 million, set four years ago, is widely expected to fall when 23 Sullivan Road goes to market — possibly by a significant margin.
- Rebuilding the property today would cost well over $5 million, creating a rare gap between market expectation and replacement reality that sharpens buyer urgency.
- The owners built their dream compound from a sketch on a piece of refill paper, only to find their children preferred surf beaches and their capital preferred motion — prompting a candid financial reckoning.
- Serious interest is already circulating from downsizers, business owners, and athletes, signalling that demand for thoughtfully designed luxury rural properties near cities remains robust.
- The sale will serve as a live test of whether the Waikato market will reward premium design and resort-style amenity at a price point the region has never before recorded.
Richard Hartles has walked through a great many Waikato homes, but stepping into 23 Sullivan Road in Horsham Downs stopped him. The Lugtons listing agent calls it the finest property he has encountered in the region — and believes it will rewrite the local benchmark of $4.21 million, set four years ago by a five-bedroom property on a much smaller section.
The owners, who prefer to remain anonymous, paid $850,000 for the raw land in 2018 after watching it for years. Working with architect Renee Woods — whose design would go on to win at the 2021 Registered Master Builders House of the Year — they built something closer to a private resort than a family home. The 545-square-metre structure across nearly 1.6 hectares includes five bedrooms, four living areas, a gymnasium, a four-car garage, a heated pool, solar systems, smart home automation, and landscaping that transformed former paddocks into manicured grounds.
The design began with a rough sketch handed to Woods by the owner. What emerged was organised around a Great Room anchored by a 4.3-metre polished granite island bench, with soaring ceilings and glass walls drawing the landscape inside. A study positioned so parents could watch children do homework, a hidden wine cellar, bedrooms opening directly outdoors — every detail reflected how the family actually lived. The owner described the result with quiet amazement: assembled from simple ideas, it nonetheless feels like a resort, with a feng shui she still finds hard to believe is hers.
Yet the family is selling — not from dissatisfaction, but from clarity. Their children gravitated toward surf beaches on weekends; competitive sport kept the family travelling. Looking a decade ahead toward retirement, they recognised that a magnificent asset was sitting largely idle while capital remained locked. "We had a financial epiphany," the owner said. The forever home became a stepping stone toward a new venture, possibly a farm.
Hartles says interest is already strong from downsizers leaving farms, business owners seeking retreat, and athletes wanting privacy. When the sale concludes, it will say something meaningful about what the market will pay for thoughtful design, genuine amenity, and the particular freedom of 1.6 hectares within reach of a city.
Richard Hartles has spent years walking through homes across the Waikato, but when he stepped into 23 Sullivan Road in Horsham Downs, just north of Hamilton, something shifted. The listing agent for Lugtons found himself standing in what he calls the nicest house he's encountered in the region—and he's certain it will rewrite the local record books.
The current regional benchmark sits at $4.21 million, set four years ago by a sprawling five-bedroom property on just over five thousand square meters. This home, by contrast, occupies 545 square meters of living space across nearly 1.6 hectares of land. Hartles doesn't mince words about what it would take to replicate it: "If you tried to rebuild Sullivan right now, there's not a chance you could buy the land and do the pool and the solar and irrigation—there's not a chance you could do it for under $5 million—not even close." The math alone suggests the sale price will exceed the existing record, possibly by a significant margin.
The owners, who prefer anonymity, purchased the raw section for $850,000 in 2018. They had been watching the property for years, waiting for it to come available. When word finally came that it would go to auction, they knew they couldn't pass it up. What they built with architect Renee Woods—whose design won awards at the 2021 Registered Master Builders House of the Year contest—became something between a family home and a private resort. Five bedrooms, three bathrooms, four distinct living areas, a gymnasium, and a four-car garage form the bones of the structure. But the details reveal the ambition: a heated swimming pool, solar power systems, smart home automation through Control4, and landscaping that transformed former paddocks into manicured grounds suitable for tennis courts and open play.
The owner described the genesis simply: she sketched a rough outline on a piece of paper and handed it to Woods. "I sort of drew up a sketch on a piece of refill, and said this is what we want, and they sort of tarted it up a bit." What emerged was a home organized around what the family calls "The Great Room"—a kitchen and living space anchored by a 4.3-meter polished granite island bench, with soaring ceilings and walls of glass that flood the space with light. The design philosophy extended throughout: a study with glass walls positioned so children could do homework while remaining visible to parents in the kitchen; a hidden wine cellar tucked behind the living room; bedrooms with direct access to the outdoors. Every choice reflected how the family actually lived—active, together, connected to the landscape.
They had come to this property seeking what they called the "barefoot Kiwi dream," a way for their children to grow up with space and freedom while remaining close enough to the city. The owner reflected on the design process with a kind of wonder: "I feel like they are all really simple ideas. Nothing is wow. But when you put it together, it is pretty nice. It does feel like a resort. It is definitely a pinch me; this is really beautiful. It has just got a really lovely feng shui about it."
Yet the family is now selling. The shift came not from dissatisfaction with the home itself, but from a recalibration of priorities. "We had a financial epiphany and were like, 'We are too young to have set up like this so quickly'," the owner explained. Their children, it turned out, wanted to spend weekends at the beach surfing rather than at home. The family plays competitive sports that keep them traveling. And looking ahead to retirement in a decade, they realized this asset—beautiful as it was—sat largely unused while capital remained locked away. They're exploring other opportunities: another business venture, possibly a farm. The home that was built as a forever sanctuary has become, instead, a stepping stone.
Hartles reports the property is already drawing serious interest—downsizers leaving farms, business owners seeking a retreat, even athletes looking for privacy and space. The sale will likely tell us something about the market for luxury rural properties within reach of a city: whether buyers will pay a premium for thoughtful design, resort-style amenities, and the particular kind of freedom that comes with 1.6 hectares of your own land. The record, it seems, is about to fall.
Notable Quotes
If you tried to rebuild Sullivan right now, there's not a chance you could buy the land and do the pool and the solar and irrigation—there's not a chance you could do it for under $5 million—not even close.— Richard Hartles, listing agent
We had a financial epiphany and were like, 'We are too young to have set up like this so quickly.' We would like to reinvest.— The owner, explaining the decision to sell
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
What made this home different enough that a seasoned agent felt compelled to call it the nicest he'd seen?
It wasn't one thing. It was the completeness—every room solved a problem the owners actually had. The study with glass walls so kids could be near parents. The wine cellar because she loved wine. The tennis court and pool because they're a sporty family. Most homes have features. This one had intention.
The owners sketched it on a piece of paper. How does that translate into an award-winning design?
They knew what they wanted to live like, and they found an architect who could listen. Renee Woods took a rough sketch and made it coherent—the Great Room, the flow between inside and outside, the way light moves through the space. That's the difference between a nice house and one that feels like home.
They're selling a home they clearly loved. What changed?
Success, in a way. They built their dream, and it worked—maybe too well. But their kids wanted the beach, not the backyard. The family was always traveling for sports. The asset was beautiful and empty. They realized they were too young to be done building, and this capital could work harder elsewhere.
The listing agent said it would cost over $5 million to rebuild today. What's driving that number?
Land, construction quality, the amenities—the pool, the solar, the smart systems. But also the design itself. You can't buy thoughtfulness. You can't rebuild the way every room connects to the next, or the way the windows frame the landscape. That's what pushes the price beyond materials.
Who's interested in buying it?
People with money and a specific need. Farmers downsizing but wanting space. Business owners who need a retreat. Athletes who value privacy. It's not a primary residence for most of them—it's a sanctuary, a place to reset. That's a smaller market, but a deeper one.
What does this sale say about the Waikato property market?
That there's appetite for quality near the city. You can have land, design, amenities, and still be thirty minutes from Hamilton. For the right buyer, that's worth breaking records for.