Grand designs or grand disaster? Hill-top New Zealand water towers for sale

Twin water towers for sale on a large block of land in New Zealand are ready for a Grand Designs-style makeover.

The disused concrete water towers are on a 1000-square-metre block in Seatoun, a suburb of New Zealand’s capital Wellington, and offer 360-degree views of the surrounding area and Worster Bay from their elevated position.

A listing for the property, 65A Seatoun Heights Road, Seatoun, says the sale offers a unique opportunity for either a Grand Designs style makeover of the existing water tanks or demolition to make way for a new dream home on the site.

“Either way, you will end up with a home on one of the most incredible sites in Wellington,” the listing says. 

According to OneRoof, the property last changed hands in 2019 for NZ $720,000 (AU$647,000).

The owner, a Wellington artist who asked not to be identified, grew up nearby.

“I’d always wondered what it would be like having a view of the other side of the hill as well,” she told OneRoof, adding that when it came on the market in 2019, “I thought, ‘Oh my God, that’s the dream property. It’s got everything’.

“I bought it for very sentimental reasons.”

She planned to redevelop the site but since had a change of heart.

“It’s pretty devastating having to get rid of the tanks,” she said. “But it’s a pragmatic decision. I’ve run out of energy to do some crazy, awesome project.”

She hopes whoever buys the property retains the water towers.

“There’s quite a lot of space,” she said. 

“They’re both tall enough to do two storeys. 

“You could get quite a substantial house in there. The roofs could be removed enabling the buyer to build upwards. A driveway could replace the steps up to the tanks.”

Agent Charles Morley-Hall of Paterson Real Estate is handling the sale and told OneRoof his first thought on seeing the property was the TV show Grand Designs, which had featured water tank conversions in the past.

Morley-Hall said the top of the property was “unusually flat for a hilltop Wellington site.”

“Currently, access is by about 220 steps, but it’s a very wide piece of land and the neighbour has recently put a [driveway] on,” he said. 

“Our owner has been told by the council and by an engineer that it’s very possible to put a [driveway] on up there.”

He said the property was connected to power and was free from asbestos.

“It would be an incredible, incredible opportunity for a young architect to get their hands on it or someone with money to create something really extraordinary,” he said.

“Equally, it is possible for someone to demolish and build a home up there. There is no restriction. It is zoned as residential.”

The property is being sold by tender, with offers due by noon on March 6.