16A Ashwood Drive, Witherlea, Blenheim, Marlborough

What sets this home apart is not a feature you can add later — it’s where it sits and what it looks out to every single day.

Backing directly onto a reserve, the outlook is open, green and uninterrupted. Beyond that, the Richmond Ranges and Mt Riley rise quietly in the distance, changing with the light and seasons. The house has been positioned to face the sun and it shows. Light pours in, warming the rooms naturally and giving the whole place an easy, calm feel.

The plaster-over-brick home sits on a compact freehold section that has been cleverly used. There are no lawns demanding weekend attention, yet the garden is anything but bare. Fruit trees and established plantings have been deliberately chosen and carefully grown, creating a layered, mature garden that feels settled and alive. Brick pathways guide you through it all, making it practical to care for and a pleasure to wander through.

Inside, the home feels thoughtful and personal — because it is. Custom built by the owner, it’s fully double glazed and designed with comfort and longevity in mind. The kitchen is well equipped and sensibly laid out, with a breakfast bar that looks over the dining space and keeps everything connected. From here, the home flows into a glazed garden room that quickly becomes everyone’s favourite spot. With a daybed already in place, it’s perfect for reading, afternoon naps, or simply watching the garden and hills beyond.

There are three bedrooms in total. The master is especially well considered, with its own bathroom and a large walk-in shower which is so easily accessible. In fact, accessibility has been quietly built into the home — wider-than-standard doorways make moving through the house easier now and into the future, without it feeling clinical or obvious.

The lounge opens out under an archgola to an outdoor living area, then down wide steps into the garden. It’s a natural extension of the living space and works just as well for quiet mornings as it does for having people over.

Add solar power, two garden sheds and an impressive amount of garage storage and you have a compact home that wastes nothing and delivers far more than you’d expect. It’s well planned, beautifully cared for, and set in a location that’s increasingly hard to find.