Situated in Cartertons popular Chester Rd/Norfolk Rd lifestyle area 839B Chester Rd offers an excellent eco-lifestyle in a three bedroom home, established within a tranquil three hectare property set well back from the road.

The home hectare is your primary lifestyle area. It encompasses the house, but also two fully insulated cabins which can be used as an office away from the distractions of the house, or as sleepouts, art studio or hobby room. There is also a tool shed coupled with a small barn for firewood, equipment and hay for any farm animals.

The land near the house has well established trees, ample lawn space, vegetable plots, some stands of firewood trees and a mature orchard. Eating seasonally, there is a year-round fruit supply starting with citrus, then the stone fruits, pip fruits and completing the cycle with feijoas in early winter. The orchard, as with the rest of the property, has been spray free for 26 years. For those seeking the Mediterranean experience, there are two small olive groves, about 30 trees in total, to provide your own pickled olives and/or small quantities of olive oil. There are also several hazel nut trees, almonds and pine nut trees.

A section of the Parkvale stream, which flows through the property, is included in the home hectare and coupled with the mature trees, provides pleasant cool areas to be enjoyed on hot Wairarapa summer days.

The remaining two hectares are fenced into three paddocks, each encompassing a section of the stream, giving ample land for grazing horses or other farm animals.

The three bedroom house has been built as low rise, so as to fit within the environment of the property rather than dominate it. The house encompasses a number of sustainability principles, one being 'design for the sun'. In this principle, through the orientation of the house (the house is north or northeast facing) and the use of wide eaves, low angle sunlight is encouraged into the house when its light and warmth is needed, such as early autumn to late spring, but high angle sun with its excessive summer heat is excluded.

Heat, when needed, is provided by two wood burners, one wet backed for water heating, and with wood from the wood-lots there is an on-site carbon cycle. A heat pump is also installed.

Low impact materials have been chosen such as woollen batts for insulation, and macrocarpa claddings which are durable without painting or oiling.

The majority of the house has high quality, thermal break double glazing, but the main service rooms, kitchen, bathroom, and laundry are single glazed.

The generous room size of the kitchen, dining room, lounge, bedrooms and gallery allow considerable freedom in furniture placement. The house can operate in a fully open plan setting, but several sets of double doors also allow for it to be more closed. The gallery is a highly useable, informal space, sun drenched in winter mornings and has an important role in moderating the heat in the bedrooms.

With the principle movement path being along the north and north east sides, and the wide use of glass in these walls, when sitting or moving through the house there are uplifting views to the outdoors, and the wildlife you share it with.