W
hen John Skevington and Jo Ruane stand at the entrance to their Village Green subdivision at Lake Hood, it’s a pretty emotional moment. For them the 32 home subdivision represents years of dreaming, planning and often of overcoming some pretty big hurdles, but seeing the first stage of that subdivision completed and sections ready to sell made the long journey well worth the effort, the couple said. “It’s pretty amazing and looks better than we could ever have imagined,” Jo said.
“The landscaping really finishes it off.” Large trees have been planted to give potential buyers a feel of how the subdivision will look when completed and they make a huge difference to the feel of the spaces, John said. “First impressions are important and looking from the stone entrance with the landscaping done it looks great,” he said. While it had been a long journey from their dream of creating the subdivision on what had been John’s family’s land to having sections ready to sell, seeing the first stage ready to go made every minute
of that worthwhile, they said. Now, Jo said, they were looking to the future, to moving onto the second stage that included eight more sections. Planning for these is already under way and while it’s the five first stage sections that are ready for buyers, they’re encouraging people who may be looking to the future to talk to them about sections in stage two. Sunday’s open day at The Village Green will run from 2pm to 4pm however John and Jo will be on site all afternoon to share their vision with potential buyers.
THE VILLAGE GREEN OPEN DAY SAUSAGE SIZZLE Sunday, November 24, 2019 at 2pm to 4pm Huntingdon Avenue, Lake Hood Information
Jo Ruane 021 180 8361
Sales
sales@villagegreen.nz
ADVERTISING FEATURE NOVEMBER 2019 DESIGNER | YENDIS ALBERT
Marketing
Tracey Watson 027 433 5744
On Huntingdon ~ Lake Hood 2
ADVERTISING FEATURE Ashburton Guardian Saturday, November 23, 2019
ADVERTISING FEATURE
A new style of development for Ashburton L
and that was once part of a working farm is about to have a new life as the Ashburton District’s newest and one of its most innovative residential subdivision. An open day at that subdivision, The Village Green, will be held on Sunday, November 24, with the first five sections in what will be a 32 home development now ready to sell. Developing land on a terrace above Lake Hood, has long been a dream for John Skevington and Jo Ruane, however, taking it from dream to reality has been a very long journey. They’ve overcome many hurdles but fuelled by their belief in what is a new style of development for the Ashburton District, the couple refused to give up. And their hard work has now been rewarded with sections in stage one in their Village Green development now on the market. The Village Green is a unique concept. The development is spread over 20 hectares and when completed will see 35 homes built over four stages. Those houses will be built in clusters with each having unique views of the Southern Alps.
PHOTO SUE NEWMAN 171019-SN-0133
Jo Ruane and John Skevington venturing into new territory above ground for the development of Village Green. Village Green is a unique housing concept for the Ashburton District. It is a 32 home, village style development spread over 20 hectares.
For the couple the land has a special association as the subdivision was part of a much larger block that was once farmed by the Skevington family and the surrounding land is still a working farm. They believe that the location of The Village Green is unique and provides superb sites for homes that will provide
owners with the best of rural living without the hard work – the surrounding greenspaces will be theirs to enjoy without worrying about lawn care. The Village Green presents a unique opportunity to enjoy country living without the work. The larger than average sections are carefully planned to maximise
stunning mountain views and open fields. There is easy access to Lake Hood. Careful planning and design ensures each section has uninterrupted views and room to spread out, unlike the cookie cutter sites of the city, with the first five sections in stage one having elevated sites overlooking Lake Hood’s waterways.
Getting the JOB DONE TO THE HIGHEST POSSIBLE STANDARD
Jo Ruane and John Skevington venturing into new territory above ground for the development of Village Green. Village Green is a unique housing concept for the Ashburton District. It is a 32 home, village style development spread over 20 hectares.
Left – Village Green – Vision of 20 hectares with each property having unique views of the mountains.
FROM A SHOVELFUL TO A TRAILER LOAD, ACL HAVE THE ULTIMATE SELECTION IN GARDEN, LANDSCAPING AND AGGREGATE SUPPLIES.
‘
ACL staff are all incredibly skilled at what they do and one of the great things is you’re working with locals, with guys you know. We’ve had a lot of laughs with them.
16 September 2019
On Huntingdon ~ Lake Hood Saturday, November 23, 2019
ADVERTISING FEATURE
Ashburton Guardian
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FUTURE STAGE
Lot 31
1712m2 $299,000.
Lot 33
1881m2 $289,000.
STAGE 1
Lot 34
1747m2 $289,000.
Lot 35
1558m2 ON HOLD
HUNTINGDON AVENUE THIS PLAN IS NOT TO SCALE - PRICES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE TITLE EXPECTED DECEMBER 2019 - ZONING RESIDENTIAL C
HUNTINGDON AV
Lot 32
1917m2 $299,000.
ENUE
RESERVE
Above and below – With outstanding mountain views, an attractive stone entrance way and carefully thought out plantings, the first five sections in The Village Green subdivision are now ready and waiting for buyers. PHOTOS SUE NEWMAN 211119-SN-0066 | 211119-SN-0073
On Huntingdon ~ Lake Hood 4
ADVERTISING FEATURE Ashburton Guardian Saturday, November 23, 2019
ADVERTISING FEATURE
When first impressions count
Team effort brings
On Huntingdon ~ Lake Hood Saturday, November 23, 2019
ADVERTISING FEATURE
BY JILL QUAID
Principal, Ray White Ashburton
I
am extremely proud to be part of The Village Green Development. I first met John Skevington when I began marketing the first stage of the Lake Hood project and then Jo later when
The Village Green concept plans were beginning to take shape. It was really exciting to see the vision they both had for this piece of land up on the terrace at Lake Hood. So easily they could have taken the easy straight forward approach to dividing this block of land. Together they had this vision for urban living with a lifestyle feel, with plenty of open spaces and limited lots for sale.
When you choose a Ray White agent, you choose important advice, expert local market knowledge and customer service that’s second to none.
They have fought every step of the way to make this development special. From the day I submitted my support to the council and spoke at the hearing I have watched Jo and John stand steadfast to the original idea that they both had for the development. The entrance and landscaping they have done on this first stage of development is truly awesome and even this did
Ashburton Guardian
not come easily. But they again stuck to their guns and have done it. As John says, Jo likes things to be nice and creating an entrance and planting the environment around the sections makes for an elegant and classy place to live. So close to town this very different way of section layout will truly give residents a very relaxing lifestyle.
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On Huntingdon ~ Lake Hood 6
ADVERTISING FEATURE Ashburton Guardian Saturday, November 23, 2019
ADVERTISING FEATURE
A client-focused design approach For an architect, a project doesn’t get much better than designing a home in a unique subdivision that has outstanding rural views says Chilton Mayne Architecture director Garry Mayne.
W
hen Jo Ruane and John Skevington asked him to design a show home for a section in their Village Green subdivision at Lake Hood, Garry said it was an opportunity he was quick to grasp. He met John and Jo on site and asked them what the features were that they liked most about the subdivision. The answers were immediate – the rural outlook, views to the mountains and views to the lake, the top level landscaping plan along with the high specification of the subdivision itself. “I saw right away that they both have a real passion and drive for the development and I recognised that this was a great opportunity to create a high level development to complement their passion for design,” Garry said. Their vision created an exciting brief, he said. The subdivision opens up huge opportunities for buyers because every section is unique and has its own views of mountains and farmland. He and partner David Chilton were involved in The Village Green at a very early stage, consulting on the design covenants and individual boundary setbacks. “Those design guidelines give the owners a peace of mind that all homes within the subdivision maintain a high level of design and construction. The setbacks allow each section to maintain view lines without being screened from your neighbour’s property,” Garry said. Plans and artist’s impressions of the show home will be on site at the November 24 open home. The show home would set the
standard for the subdivision, he said. “It’s designed to rest naturally on its site while remaining open to the impeccable outlook. Lake and mountain views provide a serene backdrop from the living, kitchen, dining, lounge and master bedroom spaces.” The home comprises two gables facing east-west. Cedar has been chosen as the main cladding material and river stone detail used on the chimneys to add depth
alongside the cedar. This also references back to the materials used in the subdivision landscaping, Garry said. Riverstone on the exterior is mirrored in the interior to create features in the entry foyer. The home also includes a range of techniques to create a warm and energy efficient home with high levels of wall and ceiling insulation, thermally broken
aluminium windows and doors plus an insulated floor slab. In addition, Chilton + Mayne will have plans on site for other sections to give potential buyers an indication of the style of home that could be built on that site. “It’s about creating the vision for people,” he said. David and Garry both grew up in Ashburton and in 2010 returned home to
hammondhomesltd@gmail.com
On Huntingdon ~ Lake Hood Saturday, November 23, 2019
ADVERTISING FEATURE
Ashburton Guardian
"We are very excited to work with John & Jo on their vision for this beautiful Village Green subdivision that future families will love living in"
Ashley Searle establish their business. Today that business has grown to include five full time staff with a skill set that covers architectural design, landscape architecture and interior design. They cover a wide cross section of work ranging from small house alterations, highend residential projects and through to large commercial developments. “We’re committed to providing tailored architectural solutions for all of our clients’
needs, no matter the size of the project,” he said. Each design is unique, with a client’s requirements as a starting point from which the team brings its understanding of the site and context to each design. The team has its main studio here in Ashburton and but also has a studio in Queenstown. The show home will be built by Mitch Hammond who will be on site during the afternoon of the Open Day.
260m m
Managing Director
info@zircon.co.nz
03 307 4244
VILLAGE GREEN SHOWHOME
ph: (03) 307 1126
e: info@cmarchitecture.co.nz
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On Huntingdon ~ Lake Hood ADVERTISING FEATURE Ashburton Guardian Saturday, November 23, 2019
8
ADVERTISING FEATURE
Innovative leading tool a boon for buyers W
hen you’re a small bank, the opportunity to be part of a residential development that sets new standards for the Ashburton District is one that gets you pretty excited, said NBS manager David Jones. His bank has partnered with Jo Ruane and John Skevington as they’ve developed their Village Green subdivision on terraced land above Lake Hood. It’s a partnership that was built on a shared vision and on both parties having an absolute belief in the project, David said. With sections in the development now on the market, David is keen to use his passion for the project to help buyers create their own dream of a new home on a site that offers the best of rural living with urban amenities on their doorstep. Building a home is a process that needs to be carefully worked through from a financial perspective, David said. “Ideally you should have your finance sorted before you buy a section, because, while you can use bridging finance that’s both expensive and quite difficult to obtain,” he said. NBS, however had a product in its lending tool kit that took the complexities out of needing to sell an existing home before you could build. “We offer a 16-week, interest-free loan on a new build. That starts when the slab goes down, you get 16 weeks from that date.” Most builds were completed within that time frame and it allowed a person with an existing property to sell plenty of time to achieve this. At the end of the period, the loan became part of a mortgage on the property, he said. For potential buyers in The Village Green that would mean they could buy their section, have plans drawn up, commission a builder and have work start while they were still living in their existing home, David said. “That puts the build within reach. If you can cobble together the money for the section we could look to put this facility in place.”
Top left – A design of a show home for a section in the Village Green subdivision at Lake Hood.
PHOTO SUPPLIED
Middle left – With outstanding mountain views and carefully thought out plantings, the first five sections in The Village Green subdivision are now ready and waiting for buyers.
PHOTOS SUE NEWMAN 211119-SN-0058
Bottom – David Jones, NBS manager.
111119-SN-0029
The loan product was new to the Ashburton market, but it was one that would be ideal for The Village Green buyers, he said. A registered valuation is need to estimate how much the new home will be worth and a contract with the builder needs to be established so the bank can make regular payments directly into their account. As construction begins, the build loan is paid out in agreed stages. Your NBS account manager will inspect the build progress to ensure the works have been completed (and therefore has a certain value at that stage).
During the project you only pay interest on the money already drawn down, and you do not start repaying the loan itself until the project is completed. A build loan is usually on a floating interest rate Borrowing for a section or for a home build in The Village Green would come under loan to value ratio (LVR) conditions – a 20 per cent deposit on the house valuation and 30 per cent on land. With the subdivision’s sections on the market at a reasonable price, borrowing rates very low and the option of a 16week, interest-free loan, David anticipates the first stage of the development will sell
quite quickly. “We’ve built a great relationship with John and Jo and we’d love to build a similar relationship with people wanting to buy into this unique development.” NBS has been part of the Ashburton finance scene since 2012 and while they might be smaller than the district’s trading banks that meant staff had the advantage of knowing their customers by name, he said. “We’d love to be able to take the next step and be part of the process for people who’re buying into this amazing development.”
Proud to be backing The Village Green Owned by our customers Investing in our community New Zealand’s Oldest Building Society Our aim is to offer you nothing but the best service through our comprehensive and competitive range of banking and financial services.
Ashburton Level 3 Somerset Burnett Street, Ashburton P: 03 307 6380 E: ashburton@nbs.co.nz OPENING HOURS Monday - Friday 9.00am - 4.30pm