4 minute read
At Home
Wow moments, without the stress
George Guille Media Ltd
Some house builds come with waves of stress and endless anxious moments but not so for a homeowner in Richmond. For her, building was a joyful experience thanks to the care and consideration shown by her chosen builder, Tasman Homes. “From the first meeting with the owners, Garry and Paulette Nott, learning about their building team and experience, I felt completely at ease,” she says. Her dream was for a home that was beautiful, would sit comfortably in the environment and enabled planting around it so that she would always hear birdsong and feel like she was in her garden. She wanted three pods, a central living area with bedrooms on either end that are reached through glass walkways, and for the house to be bathed in as much sunlight as possible from dawn till dusk. “I liked the idea of a restful, resort style with clean lines,” she says, “filled only with things that I use or love.” “Garry understood what I wanted right from the start. It was a real joy to go onto the site because he and his team are such good communicators and there is a real team culture. It felt like being part of a happy family. All the way through they were particular about every detail and they welcomed my input. It was exciting to see the progress.” The central living pod has exterior cladding of vertical New Zealand larch weatherboard, not an easy material to work with but the resulting warm, golden effect was just what the owner wanted. Despite being a relatively simple design the house is packed with special features, most notably, structured insulated panels (SIPs) made by Formance. A revolutionary product that can be used for roofs, walls and floors, they offer superior strength, flexibility and far better insulation than standard batts. Easy to work with, the pieces were supplied ready-cut, considerably reducing the time it takes to build a home with less construction waste. The owner is thrilled with the
result of using this method. Independent tests have shown that compared with a standard concrete floor/ timber framed house, the system gives a seventy-five per cent saving in energy costs. She can certainly attest to its benefits. “The house is warm and dry and comfortable to live in all year round,” she says. In the cooler months the only heating is a gas fire that is more for its ambience than for actual heating. Another special feature of the home is use of locally grown elm on the ceilings and floor. Its honeyed warmth contrasts with the simplicity of the white walls and the greenery in the landscape outside. The spectacular bank of folding doors allows for the whole front to be opened up which is a much loved feature of the owner’s. “There is barely a day that goes by when those doors aren’t open, leading out to the garden and the view over the plains” she says. A favourite aspect in the kitchen is the splashback. A picture of dandelion seed heads, carefully chosen by the owner, printed on glass forms- a lovely and very unique backdrop to the food preparation process. Directly behind is a large walk-through pantry with extensive bench space for appliances and plenty of storage.
Wanting the look of schist but not the price, the owner opted for engineered stone pillars. Installed expertly by a block-layer, they provide another point of difference and, like the ceramic kitchen island, act as a heat sink, heating during the day when the sun comes in and warming the house at night. Each bedroom has its own ensuite where the timber look is carried through and contrasts with carefully chosen tiles and exquisite hand basins. “I wanted the master bedroom to feel serene which is why I chose the blue wallpaper,” she says. “Blue always feels like a calming colour and I love this feature wall.” The laundry is expansive with plenty of drawer space. “There is room for picnic and camping gear and all the other bits and pieces it is so often hard to find places for,” she says. “There were wow moments right throughout this build,” she says. “Garry’s motto that building has to be fun was true all the way along. I remember the day I walked into the finished house and it was exactly the beautiful, happy home I’d imagined.”
