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Beside the Seaside, Whitianga

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Undisturbed sea views across Buffalo Beach and Mercury Bay attracted Richard and Hannah to buy this Whitianga property in 2018. Stacks of potential for the family home of their dreams! No wonder it won Gold in the Auckland, Northland & Coromandel region of the Registered Master Builders House of the Year competition.

With 20+ years in the building game, Richard (HAMR Home Building Contractors) had a strong idea of what he wanted to build to replace the 1950’s dwelling and take full advantage of the location.

He picked up his pencil and drafted plans for a spacious two-storey home. Designs were developed alongside Studio 77 Ltd and a 9-month build followed.

Now that it’s a reality, the family are even more delighted with the location than they had expected. The extraordinary views are a stand-out from almost anywhere in the house.

Bright and spacious living

From the open plan kitchen/dining/living area, high stud ceilings and huge windows flood the room with natural light and frame the view. They open out to a substantial deck built using FSC certified Kwila with a frameless glass balustrade for a seamless view.

Sliding doors from the living area also open wide to an internal deck with louvre roof for shelter from the elements if needed. Good old kiwi BBQs no matter what the weather.

The furniture throughout is stylish, yet comfortable and inviting, meaning there are lots of spaces to relax and enjoy balmy Coromandel summers. Come winter, they can tuck themselves in with the usual features to keep in the warmth: double-glazed windows, heat pumps and Hotwire electric underfloor heating in the tiled areas.

Family kitchen with entertaining in mind

Our whole family enjoy cooking together and we love entertaining, so we needed a large kitchen to do that.

The island is solid oak – which is mainly used as a servery. The benchtops are pure black granite, with a honed finish – plenty of space to work in. The high ceilings, low hanging pendant lights and red stools at the breakfast bar create a very inviting space.

A walk-in pantry allows the small appliances to be handy without cluttering up the main kitchen. All hardware is Blum soft-close, and Blum Tandembox drawers give a quality touch in everyday use.

A striking exterior

A mix of cedar weatherboards and plastered AAC panel gives a clean-lined, solid appearance. The dark stain of the cedar (Wood-X Foundry oil) against the lighter colour of the plaster in Dulux Whakarewarewa contrast perfectly. Not to mention the choice of black Marley Stormcloud® spouting to frame the whole exterior and connect it to the roof.

As builders we try and specify cedar into all of our houses, if we can. In fact, virtually wherever you stand inside, all you can see is the warmth of timber when looking out

Built to endure the elements

Living just a stone’s throw from the beach, Marley Stratus Design Series® was an obvious choice for the spouting and downpipes.

Being beachfront we don’t have to worry about corrosion or rusting. We specify Stratus Design Series® in almost all the houses we build.

The Stormcloud® spouting profile was chosen for its clean, simple lines. The black colour discreetly ties in with the window framing and True Oak® Corrugate roofing.

Marley RP80® downpipes complete the system and offer the same 15 year guarantee as all products in the Stratus Design Series®.

An escape for the kids

A self-contained area downstairs was designed with their three growing girls in mind. A comfortable place they can retreat to, so they can all have privacy as they get older.
No queues for the bathroom! The kid’s bathroom is built in three parts: the vanity in one room, toilet in the next and bath/shower in another. The vanity has three sets of drawers — one for each daughter.

Future-proofed

The Warwicks had the foresight to prepare for the future. The house has been pre-wired for solar panels to be installed on the roof at a later date. A dedicated circuit in the garage allows for a charging point for an electric vehicle.

A mixture of tropical and native plants, suitably fitting for the coastal location, will develop and grow over the years to come. Many years that the family will be loving their seaside lifestyle, we’re sure!

North Star, Marsden Cove

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54 Stace Hopper Drive is a slice of heaven in the winterless North. It’s a freshly built Westmoreland Homes show home in Marsden Cove, one of New Zealand’s most exciting new marine villages on the shores of Whangarei Harbour. If you long for a relaxed lifestyle with some of New Zealand’s best boating, fishing, swimming and diving hot spots at your doorstep, Marsden Cove could be for you.

Welcome aboard

High vaulted ceilings add to the sense of openness in this generously sized 236 sq metre home. In keeping with the marine environment, the ceilings are constructed using grooved ply to create a nautical feel. The 4 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms and 2 living rooms can easily cope with a growing family and all those visitors you can expect in summertime.

Enjoy the outdoors at all times

A fan of indoor/outdoor flow? The big, double-glazed folding doors open wide onto sizeable decks and out to the large 740 sq metre flat section. Westmoreland Homes have been quite particular in specifying products that require little maintenance and can withstand the harsh coastal environment. That’s why they used a decking material made from 90% recycled timber and plastic, which requires little care.

Cook up a storm (and hide the mess)

This great looking kitchen will always stay that way. We love a kitchen that can hide the dirty dishes out of sight in a roomy scullery like this. There is heaps of bench space, great storage for appliances and crockery, and there’s even a wine chiller.

You’ll love the details

It’s the considered details that can really make a home special. And 54 Stace Hopper Drive has original details aplenty:

The exposed feature trusses are real design feature to set the home apart…

There’s the over-wide hallways and over-height doors which create such a sense of space and light. The hallway ceiling has special LED lighting with built-in night lights…

The installation of Methven water-saving showerheads, and the inclusion of the handy shampoo shelf…

The use of Marley Stratus Design Series® Stormcloud® spouting and RP80® downpipes in black to give a crisp and stylish edge to the exterior.  The gloss black finish works beautifully with the Mt Hikurangi light grey used on the pine weatherboards. And did you know that versatile, quarter round Stormcloud® is New Zealand’s most popular spouting style?! Plus, it’s absolutely perfect for coastal locations because being uPVC, there is no chance of rust.

Oh, how that gloss black shines! 🖤

The smooth lines…

Want to create this look for your home?

Then it’s time you visited 54 Stace Hopper Drive at Marsden Cove and take notes on how to recreate this style. Then visit our stockists page to find the plumbing or building branch closest to you so you too can order Marley Stratus Design Series® Stormcloud® spouting and RP80® downpipes in black!

Outstanding in every way

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No. 2 Killick Place is a very impressive, stand-alone family home in a brand-new development in North Shore, Auckland. It is currently a Universal Homes Showhome.

So impressive, in fact, that it was an award winner in the Auckland House of the Year 2019. If you love the beach or the bush, then this is the perfect location for you. Fabulous Long Bay Beach is a just a walk away and the Okura Scenic Reserve with it’s amazing birdlife.

Living room and then some

This is a home that doesn’t stint on space. The upstairs downstairs configuration means there’s heaps of room for a growing family: four generous bedrooms upstairs with a large family bathroom, and a massive ensuite off the master bedroom complete with its own walk-in wardrobe.

Downstairs, its open plan living on a grand scale. The lounge, dining and family areas are awash with natural light from the huge expanse of windows. All double glazed, of course. And centre stage is a wonderfully appointed kitchen with state-of-the-art appliances. Large sliding doors effortlessly let the outside in and give easy access to the patio and lawn.

Easycare from top to bottom

Isthmus Group Architects have designed this home for easy living. External cladding is a combination of low maintenance, vertical cedar and Linea weatherboards. The mono pitch roof features long run Colorsteel®. And the home’s crisp lines are highlighted by Marley’s Stratus Design Series® Typhoon® spouting and RP80® downpipe in black. Both of which are made from high quality uPVC which means it won’t rust – so important when you are close to the sea.

We really like the mix of light and dark tones for the exterior and the choice of the black spouting and downpipes to match the joinery works beautifully.

If you’re looking for inspiration, take a good look at No.2 Killick Place, Long Bay. It’s on show right now. See www.universalhomes.co.nz for opening hours.

House of the Year – Whitianga

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When Kirstin and Matt Castle were designing their new home in Whitianga on the Coromandel Peninsula, they concentrated on what was best for themselves and their two young sons. Pleasing the judges in the Registered Master Builders House of the Year competition was the last thing on their mind. But please them they did! They won the gold award in the Placemakers New Home $450,000 – $550,000 category.

We were quite chuffed to win actually. It’s really nice to know that others also appreciate what we have done. And it’s a big tick for our company’s design studio – said a delighted Kirstin.

The ideal location, location, location

The Castle’s new house sits on a large, sunny, flat 4,035m site in Whitianga township. The beaches, marina, shops and restaurants are all within very easy reach. The site was completely bare when they purchased it in 2016 and HAMR homes took just six months to complete the project.

We’ve heard the horror stories of new builds. But HAMR took care of everything for us. It really was stress free and we totally enjoyed being part of the process.

Designed for easy living

This is a home that ticks all the boxes on a homeowner’s wish list. It’s got open plan living, indoor outdoor flow, a generous veranda, large decks, easy care native garden, loads of storage, bunkbeds for the holiday guest overflow, and even a games room.

As Kirstin said, We wanted this to be a home that had some of the elements of the traditional Kiwi bach and all the comforts of a modern home.

It ‘s a home you can open out in summer, or close in for winter. Clever use of Velux skylights and ventilating louvres lets you regulate the airflow, so you can avoid those sticky and hot sleepless nights in summer. In winter, the double glazing, fully insulated walls and ceilings, solar capturing concrete floors and super efficient wood burner all make for a very cosy and comfortable home.

It’s easy maintenance too. The exterior cladding is bevel-back cedar weatherboards coated with Resene Woodsman Tiri Stain. The roof is corrugated iron with Flaxpod powder coating and the Marley Stratus Design Series® Typhoon® spouting and RP80® downpipes are all hardwearing uPVC which won’t rust, so is perfect for the coastal location.

We got lucky with the spouting. Marley released their Stratus Design Series® in black midway through the build so we had time to change to it.  It’s the perfect match for our colour scheme.

There is no doubt that dark exteriors are very popular right now, however we love the way the Castles have gone for white (Resene Half Merino) soffit and posts to offset the moody cladding and black Marley spouting and downpipes. Looks so good!

The half round Typhoon® spouting profile frames the house with a modern look, and the external brackets give some added detail, while also making it easier to clean the spouting out.

A new twist on the indoor/outdoor flow

Nothing quite says ‘beach house’ like an outdoor shower. It also means no more sandy togs in the bathroom, or sand on the floor. And nothing says indulgence like having a bath under the stars. The reconditioned bath is one of the most popular features of the home – it gets good use all year round from all members of the family.

Designed and made in Whitianga

The Castle home is very much a local product. Kirsten has her own architectural business, Studio 77 Ltd, which is based in Whitianga. The kitchen and bathroom cabinetry were supplied by Dimax, another local firm, and the Castles didn’t have to look very far to find their builders as HAMR Home are just down the road.

It’s great to be able to use local contractors and suppliers. You can’t beat the personal service and not one local tradie let us down. They were all great.

But wait, there’s more!

The most surprisingly thing about the Castle’s new home is the fact that it’s not really their home in the long term. It’s just stage one. In time, as the family grows a new house will be built on site and the house you see now will become the guest house/boat shed. So, watch this space for House of the Year 2020!

Beautiful in Black

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Ben and Tess Annabell found their 2.5 acres of paradise in Taranaki back in 2008. The location was ideal; Hawera had great schools, a vibrant community, lots of nearby family and friends, excellent hunting and fishing, plus the added attraction of a beach only a salt spray away.

On site was a 1914 villa, which they would have loved to renovate but unfortunately it was well past its use by date. So, it was a case of starting from scratch.

We had a good idea of what we wanted in a home. So, we took our rough design to Location Homes in New Plymouth and they did the rest.

Made to fit right in

The choice of building materials was influenced by the surrounding buildings. Batten and board was chosen so that the house blended in with Ben’s workshop and helped connect the buildings. ColorSteel® was used as a cladding and roofing because it’s a material that’s right at home in a rural setting yet at the same time provided a contrast to the warmth of the cedar.

The cedar cladding gives a soft, natural, earthy feel to the place which was exactly what we wanted.

Wind? What wind?

Rumour has it that it can blow a bit on the Taranaki coast, so Ben and Tess built with that in mind. The house has entertaining areas on both sides of the house, so they are protected from the most common westerly and northerly winds. Large verandas also provide protection from the sun and rain as well as substantially increasing the usable living space.

Inside the house double glazing and an extremely efficient wood burner, which heats water as well as the air, keeps the comfort levels well into the cosy range.

All black, almost

It’s pretty obvious, we’re keen on black. We looked at lots of magazines for inspiration and we were always drawn to the darker colours.

From the Ebony ColorSteel® on the roof, to the Resene Pitch Black stain on the verandas, the black oxide on the driveway to the Black Marley Stratus Design Series® spouting and downpipes, the colour black is very prominent. It has the visual effect of making the house sit down in the landscape. It blends in rather than shouts out.

PVC – a plumber’s pick

Ben runs Evergreen Plumbing and he’s been using Marley product for many years. He chose the Stratus Design Series® in the Typhoon® profile for a number of reasons. Its’ smooth profile, 15-year guarantee, UV resistance, and suitability for the collection of drinking water were all factors to consider, but the number one reason is that it’s made from tough uPVC and won’t rust with all the salt spray.

We’re only 700 metres from the surf so salt spray is a real issue. That’s why Marley PVC was the only way to go. And we love it!

The black looks really stunning with matching RP80® 80mm round downpipes.

So, from both a practical and design viewpoint the Black Stratus Design Series® was ideally suited to the location and added a very stylish finishing touch to the home.

A brilliant mix of old and new

The timber from the original villa didn’t go to waste. The kitchen and bathroom benchtops are all made from Rimu salvaged from the old home and the library shelving is using the old Matai floorboards.

The lovely native timber was just too good to use as firewood.

On trend metallic touches were used throughout the home with copper lampshades in the lounge and dining area working beautifully with the exposed brick.

Despite their clear love of black, the odd splash of colour has been used around the home, like the gorgeous Studio Edward Van Vliet wallpaper (Design number 48957) on the lounge wall, coupled with a classic camel leather couch.

Ben and Tess are suitably in love with their new home and we agree it’s truly beautiful in black!

Beachlands facelift

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With the arrival of baby number two, Neil and Marsha were in need of more space. Having sold their St Heliers unit, the pressure was on to find their new family home.

After searching for months but losing out at numerous auctions, they finally spotted their future. A 1960’s state house in Beachlands.

“It was far from perfect and was literally a house dropped onto an undeveloped section,” says Neil, “but we weren’t afraid of rolling up our sleeves and knew with some hard work we could create something special. We prepared ourselves for a battle at the auction and we won!”

The house was relocated by the previous owner. Although they’d completed interior renovations and added a concrete driveway, the exterior needed a lot of work to transform it into the family home Neil and Marsha saw the potential for.

How the house looked before the work started:

How the same area looks now:

Outdoors magnified

“We spent a lot of time planning the outdoor areas,” says Neil, “Because our house is small compared to most new builds, we wanted to really optimise the flow between structures and spaces, thinking about play space and entertaining space for the kids, and creating an outdoor extension of our open plan living.”

Neil and Marsha have amassed an impressive list of exterior improvements since purchasing the property in 2015, including building the garage, adding a rear fence, completing extensive landscaping, adding retaining walls, 65 square metres of decking, and repointing and painting the roof.

The biggest challenge along the way was dealing with the weather. The soil is predominately clay and was hard work wet or dry.

New space from nowhere

The substantial retaining wall built along one boundary of the section gained an additional 2 metres of decking and garden space. The newly built garage was positioned close to the house and given a complementary colour scheme to match.

The extra-large 65 square metre decking area in hardwood wide board Vitex was positioned to maximise privacy, shelter and sun, and the new addition of the pergola added sun and rain protection for use as an ‘outdoor lounge’ all-year round.

“We intentionally planted mostly in natives,” says Neil. “We engaged with a landscape designer before getting started to get another perspective and adopt best practices in landscape design.”

The outdoor decking area with integrated gardens and retaining wall is now their favourite part of the house: “We just love sitting on our outdoor sofa and being surrounded by so much lush planting and earthly colours.” says Neil.

Funds permitting, Neil and Marsha plan to install new bi-fold joinery off the dining space to connect to the covered deck area.

Hidden surprises

After moving in, the discovery of massive roof space was put to great use for storage by installing attic stairs for ease of access.

Neil and Marsha were also delighted to find just how well positioned the house was: “Our living spaces are really light and sunny,” says Neil. “Two of the three bedrooms get all day sun, and the sunsets are incredible.”

Cool colours

Attracted to the modern colour scheme of greys with white joinery, Neil and Marsha chose to continue the striking monochromatic colour scheme for the exterior landscaping, combining Resene Grey Friars and black for the fencing.

This matched the existing charcoal grey, concrete tile roof and timber weatherboards in Dulux Whakarewarewa. Framing the house are white eaves and stained black baseboards.

The perfect finish

The recent addition of the brand new Marley Stormcloud® spouting in glossy black, makes their home one of the first in the country to have Marley’s latest colour addition to the Stratus Design Series® range. Black is now available in Marley Stormcloud® and Typhoon® spouting, and RP80® downpipes.

Our old spouting and downpipes were white which made the home feel a bit dated. We believe the black has truly transformed the modern look and style of our home.

“With rainwater our only supply of water and water safety imperative for our family, we went with Marley uPVC because it was certified to potable water standards. Being only 700 metres to the coast durability was really important also as we didn’t want to risk corrosion or rusting over time from metal spouting.”

Stormcloud’s quarter-round profile was chosen to suit the architectural style of the 1960s home, with the added bonus of being the perfect solution to the constraint of the house’s short fascia boards.

Lessons learned

When asked what advice Neil would give others looking to undertake a similar project, he said: “Plan, plan, plan but have plenty of fun in the process. Be open to new ideas and where possible prioritise good building materials, quality plants and great tradespeople.”

A special mention goes to James Hall, from Halls Contracting Limited. James built the deck and pergola and Neil and Marsha were particularly impressed with his workmanship.

The biggest lesson of all? “Always listen to your wife,” says Neil.

 

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