In 1985,  Phillip Barrance was a young builder who bought s steep and very wooded section in Freemand Bay, in exclusive inner city Auckland. Phillip wanter to build three townhouses on the bottom portion of the section, and to sell them. He wanted houses that were essentially private, but with an internal feeling of spaciousness, all within a tight budget. They were to have an expression that connoted "South Pacific" with overtones of mMori and Polynesian influence. The resulting design is on four levels, stepping down the site and wrapping around a private garden. The lower level comprises the bedroom areas. The top level is a study high in the trees. In between are mezzanine levels with lkiving and dining areas. The entrance is at the third level which also houses a guest (3rd) bedroom.

The houses were to be finished in cedar ply with applied battens. Sadly, they were never built -victims of the 1987 stock-market crash. The client was unable to raise the necessary capital and instead built two, prefabricated units.