On the couple's wishlist when they immigrated was a home near the ocean. In 2016 they found a three-bedroom, one-bathroom brick and fibro "very tired" 1970s home on a 607m2 site in Mt Maunganui. In preparation for their renovation Debbie researched which architecturally designed houses appealed to her, and the ones that caught her eye all tracked back to the same architectural designer - Adam Taylor of ata.

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Adam suggested extending the house towards the road, thereby keeping a usable back garden. The house is on a busy road so sacrificing the unappealing front garden wasn't a problem. The extension now contains an open plan living area upstairs, cantilevered over a spacious carport in front of the original garage which is now used for storage.

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A timber staircase leads up from the new front entrance. As part of the renovations, which were finished towards the end of 2024, the original house was gutted. What was the kitchen is now the kids’ bathroom, while the former bathroom is now Stu and Debbie’s ensuite. The bedrooms have been switched around and much of the original lounge is now a fourth bedroom. That there is a fourth bedroom is not immediately obvious thanks to some design trickery. Push the blue wall panels in the wide passageway and a storage cupboard and yellow-painted bedroom reveal themselves.

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The same mellow yellow can be found outside on the front extension, where it is combined with sandy-coloured exterior panels. The colour combination was suggested by Adam – he did, after all, hear Debbie say, “quirky and different”.