Stratus Design Series[reg]

Horse heaven in South Auckland

5 April, 2018 by

It’s not often you see a person’s passion intertwine perfectly with where they live. But at Pintala in the South Auckland area of Waiau Pa, Nick Bates has achieved exactly that.

After spending some years in the States where he developed a great admiration for Pinto horses, Nick sought to build a home on a property that allowed him to indulge his passion for the breed while still working in real estate in Pukekohe.

No detail overlooked

Nick spent 3 months searching for the perfect spot and his perseverance paid off. Pintala is on a beautiful site in rural South Auckland with views over the Manukau Harbour, out to Awhitu Peninsula, the Waitakere Ranges and even the city lights in the distance.

I just love living here. The views, the sunrise and sunset are stunning. I even have ROW access to the water for beach rides. And I’m close to work. We couldn’t be happier.

Cape cod on the Manukau

The only thing on site when Nick bought it was an old stock shelter, so he pretty much had a blank canvas to begin with. Nick had firm ideas on what he wanted; a rustic-contemporary look, lots of black with white highlights to capture a Cape Cod feel, and most importantly he wanted to live in a home surrounded by equestrian facilities.

I wanted it to be simple in design and to function effortlessly. I didn’t want a glitzy show home, I wanted a working, practical home that also looked good.

Marley Stratus Design Series^® in Ironsand^® was an obvious choice when Nick was deciding on a complimentary spouting system.

Keeping it local

Nick made a point of using local tradespeople and they didn’t let him down. Sam Crisp had a particular knowledge for building lifestyle buildings and Customkit were a key part of the team. Their close working relationship with Nick and excellent communication kept the stress levels to a minimum.

In keeping with the rustic look and keeping in mind the coastal location Nick wanted wood wherever possible. Board and batten exteriors are used on the cottage, implement shed, and horse barn, all coated in Resene Blackjack CoolColour, which will softly weather and give a permanence to the buildings. The roof is Colorsteel^® Endura Corrugated Iron in Thunder Grey.

Everyone who visits is in awe of the detail, layout and facilities. All of which really do complement the amazing location.

Building for the long term

Pintala is one of those properties that will continue to get better with age. Building with sustainable timber, installing LED lighting and energy saving double glazing all help minimise the property’s impact on the environment. A great deal of planting has also been done, this includes grasses and ground cover, and numerous native plants especially chosen to cope with the coastal location.

The nearby beach was a factor in the choice of spouting and downpipes as well. The Marley Stratus Design Series^® was suggested by Customkit because of the fact that it doesn’t rust, is UV resistant, carries a 15-year guarantee and has a great range of colours.

The Typhoon^® spouting profile, in Ironsand^®, was picked by Nick because it suited the board and battern exterior. The external brackets suit the traditional style of the house and also make the spouting very easy to clean.

When asked what he would change if he was to do it all again. Nick replied: “Not a thing!”

That’s a sure sign of a job well done!

A big thank you to Customkit for the editorial information and to John Mailley for the photography.

Classic in Te Awamutu

12 September, 2017 by

Located 30kms south of Hamilton, Te Awamutu is often referred to as ‘The Rose Town of New Zealand’ because of its elaborate rose gardens in the centre of town.

Te Awamutu is also home to a brand new house built by Daniel Kraayvanger and the team at DK Designer Homes.

The finished home has a timeless, classic look, with shingle roof, plastered walls, deep window reveals, and copper lighting and spouting. This entertainer’s delight also features a games room and in-ground pool.

A design challenge

The biggest challenge from a design perspective was fitting a 370m² house, plus a separate 34m² games room, on an irregularly shaped, 3,200m² rural section.

The 10m setbacks on all boundaries allowed for a limited building platform.

It helped that the house was able to be positioned on site to maximise the north orientation, with outdoor living areas, the games room and the pool all located to make the most of the sun.

None to done in one

“The owner had a very clear idea of what they wanted from the outset and had done extensive research over a long period of time.” Kraayvangar says.

“It was particularly helpful for the designer and builder that they had had an extensive image library of what they were after.”

Plans were drawn up one year out, and the build was achieved from woe to go in just 6 months, transforming the empty site to a beautiful new home.

When we asked the owner if he would have done anything differently looking back on the process, he told us “No, we wouldn’t. We love it just the way it is.”

Entertainer’s delight

Clever exterior layout and design, using a covered outdoor entertaining area within view of the inviting pool, gives the owners the ultimate flexibility to make the most of their easy-care outdoor areas all year-round.

With the Waikato region offering warm, humid summers and mild winters with prevailing winds from the west and southwest, the siting of the house, planting and fencing, provide protection for the outdoor living areas in most weathers.

The 30m² covered outdoor living area, complete with outdoor gas fire, provides maximum opportunities for outdoor living in all but the most inclement weather, further enhanced by the 20m² covered barbeque area to the Games Room.

Aqua oasis

The undercover paved patio, combined with extensive north-facing tiled areas, maximise comfort no matter the weather.

All the better for enjoying the generous in-ground pool in eye-catching aqua, complemented with the large pale tiles in the same colour as the cladding.

The owner knew the type of pool and shape he wanted, and with the help of building consent drawings from a structural engineer, DK Designer Homes turned the owner’s dreams to reality.

The finishing touch of glass balustrades for the pool fence avoided visually cutting off the pool from the house, adding to the expansive resort feel.

Clean lines

CavityClad, an autoclaved aerated concrete panel cladding system, was used on the exterior, with the plastered finish painted Resene Double Thorndon Cream. Battened plywood soffits to the outdoor living areas were stained.

The roofing is CertainTeed asphalt shingles on a plywood substrate, supplied and installed by Bay Pacific Roofing of Tauranga, in colour Landmark Weathered Wood.

The clean, classic aesthetic was continued indoors, with the interior of the house painted Resene Alabaster, with wallpapered feature walls, and the walls to the interior of the Games Room painted Resene Half Truffle. The ceiling, doors, architraves and trim are Resene Alabaster.

On-trend copper

Stylish copper feature lighting adorns the exterior, with bronze water features and large pots making a design statement against the paler exterior cladding.

Marley Typhoon^® spouting and RP80^® downpipes in Copper, part of Marley’s Stratus Design Series^® range, continues the on-trend copper features of the home.

“The client liked the ‘copper look’ without the cost of real copper” Kraayvangar said.

Marley copper uPVC spouting and downpipes also suited the timeless, classic style of the home.

Marley’s Typhoon spouting reduces maintenance while still getting the elegant copper look without the risk of theft of metal copper spouting.

Captivating coastal Northland

20 July, 2017 by

After looking for more than 6 years, Shaun and Margaret finally found ‘the one’. A vacant site in Northland, perched high in stunning Tutukaka, with awe-inspiring, sweeping sea views that stop you in your tracks.

Big plans but no builder

Having built a house in 1997 in nearby Maungakaramea, the news that their trusted builder had since retired meant the hunt began for a housing company.

We approached a few companies with our design, and requested estimates. We chose Jennian Northland as they were the best to deal with throughout that process.

18 months later, and the empty land had been transformed into a welcoming home, built tough to withstand the elements of the elevated coastal site.

Considered positioning was needed for the house to account for the undulating contours of the site, and for protection from the high-wind exposure. Everything indoors and out was designed to make the most of those panoramic views.

Exterior echoing nature

Natural materials were chosen for the exterior, combined with a coastal-inspired colour scheme to blend harmoniously with the location.

Cladding in schist, rendered brick, and hard-wearing Linea weatherboard created a foundation firm enough to weather any storm.

Shaun and Margaret chose Colorsteel’s MAXX Trimline for the roof in the moody grey-blue shade of New Denim.

Marley Typhoon^® spouting in Titanium, with matching RP80^® downpipes, made for a sensible and stylish choice for the finishing touch to the exterior. “We liked the look of the Marley Typhoon spouting” says Shaun.

“Plus our location raised a few concerns for choosing the right spouting. We took into account our long run mono pitch roof design over four sections and levels, the salt-laden air, and long, hot sunny summer days.”

Marley’s uPVC spouting solved it all for us. No concerns about metal corroding, and it could cope with Northland’s heat and high UV at the same time.

A 3kW PV Solar System on the roof takes advantage of Northland’s high sunshine hours for generating power.

Picturesque plantings

With more work in the garden still on their ‘to do’ list, Shaun and Margaret’s clever plant selections so far have achieved a lush feel, an impressive feat given the restrictions of the harsh location.

We chose mainly native plants that could withstand the salt-laden air of the coast.

Unobstructed views

The substantial decking area, constructed from pine with steps edged in reclaimed telephone-pole cross arms, was kept low profile, providing easy indoor-outdoor flow and avoiding the need for balustrades which would otherwise interrupt those breathtaking views.

The ocean indoors

The brand-new, complex, 279sqm home encompasses four bedrooms and two bathrooms, a large kitchen, and two generous living spaces.

With inspiration at-hand through every window, the interior colour scheme was designed to take a backseat to the statement view.

Shaun and Margaret chose Resene Quarter Tea throughout for a cohesive interior colour. Quarter Tea is Resene’s fifth most popular seller, with the muted soft beige providing a warmer base and more complexity than plain white.

The expansive kitchen above is an entertainer’s dream. The luminous turquoise kitchen splash-back in Resene Hullabaloo was sourced from Regal Plus, who also supplied the kitchen, and brings the ocean indoors (for those brief moments you can tear yourself away from the eye-catching views). The granite benchtops are from Stone Warehouse in Auckland.

The bathrooms and master bedroom ensuite perfectly complement the interior colour scheme, with Crema Marfil porcelain print tiles, tapware and mixers from the Methven Aio collection, and Athena bathroom vanities and sinks.

Smartvent and additional ducted air conditioning was added to keep their home cool in summer and warm in winter for year-round comfort.

Favourite things

Now the build is done and they’ve settled in to their new home, Shaun says “It is an extremely liveable house and the living areas have the benefit of the amazing panoramic views.”

When asked what advice he’d give other homeowners trying to achieve a similar look, Shaun said “Don’t rush. Each site has its own advantages and challenges, so spending a lot of time thinking through all aspects of the design is really important prior to the start of construction. Attention to the details is a critical success factor.”

From the big picture to the finer details, like the finishing touch of Marley Typhoon uPVC spouting in Titanium, it’s obvious Shaun and Margaret’s carefully considered attention to detail has really paid off.

Copper home design trends 2017

11 July, 2017 by

All that glitters is not gold. Copper became the design trend de jour in 2016. Showing no signs of slowing down in 2017, copper in and around the home has now grown up, becoming more relaxed, natural and inclusive, moving away from 2016’s statement ‘look at me’ approach.

From interior design, to architecture and home exteriors, copper is a luxe accent colour that lifts your home inside and out.

Get inspired for your new home build or renovation, or just add the finishing touches to your home’s interior, with these home design trend ideas from cosy bedrooms and inviting bathrooms, to copper accented exteriors.

Copper in the kitchen

Interior designers made the call early in 2017; this is the year of the minimal kitchen.

Trends see clutter being hidden away, push and pull cabinetry without handles, pots, pans and appliances neatly stowed out of view, hidden storage areas, and slimline benchtops.

Although white will always be popular for kitchens, 2017 sees designers and homeowners favouring softer, more muted colours like greys, greens and blues, and more natural textures and materials, such as wood and marble, moving away from glossy monochrome surfaces.

Instead of last year’s statement copper pendants and accessories boldly contrasted against stark white, copper now blends in to the kitchen, highlighting natural materials.

Like this kitchen above, with its pale wood-grain cabinetry, charcoal tile splashback and copper tapware with exposed pipes over a generous butler sink.

Copper brings a soft warmth to the kitchen compared to the industrial black metal trend, or highly reflective silver, making it easy to achieve a warm and inviting space.

Like this elegant kitchen below. A copper-lovers dream with polished copper cabinets and clever use of black negative space creating instant wow factor. The natural wood parquet floor is complemented by copper tapware and a slim, pale-grey marble benchtop and dove-grey walls.

Copper bathroom trends

With kitchens and bathrooms both being key selling points for a home, cohesion between the two is easily achieved when using copper, from tapware to handles and small accessories, to the entire bath.

2017 sees bathroom colour and material trends echoing the kitchen, turning away from stark white towards more luxurious, darker shades to create a haven – an escape from the hectic outside world.

Like this soothing bathroom below with its inviting copper bath reflecting the natural wood floors, and relaxing sage-green walls.

For budgets that don’t quite extend to the scale of a copper bath or full bathroom renovation, a change to copper tapware, basin, light fittings or accessories can instantly update your bathroom.

If you have painted bathroom walls it’s even easier to affordably embrace the latest bathroom colour trends with dark colours warmed by touches of copper. Like these two deliciously dark bathrooms, with inky wall colours paired with copper accessories, mirrors, tapware and lighting.

Bedroom trends

Bedrooms aren’t missing out on the copper design trend this year either.

Designers are seeing the same muted colour palette, from moody blues through to lighter, yet still muted pastels – washed pinks, soothing greys and nature-inspired greens. These all are perfect colours for warm copper metallic accents. Bedroom fabrics are also showing the same trends, from natural fabrics like linen to lush, textured choices like rich velvets.

Like this Norwegian inspired bedroom with linen bedding in dusky pink and dove grey, natural, pale wood floorboards, and clever copper accents in the lighting, bedside table and accessories.

Copper exterior design trends

Last on the list – but number one for that essential curb-side appeal – is copper’s popularity in home exteriors.

Copper spouting and downpipes add the finishing touch of luxe to your home.

Copper spouting blends beautifully with natural wood cladding and brick exteriors, or makes a design statement against New Zealand’s ever-popular white weatherboard Villas and Bungalows, or newer trend of grey home exteriors.

So even if you’re not building new, or doing a full renovation, it’s obvious why copper is such a popular choice when your guttering needs replacing. No need to change your home or roof colour.

Like this unique Nelson stunner by Bruce Design & Build using Marley Typhoon:

These Ellerslie apartments got the high-end finish with Marley Typhoon also:

This home by Bella Homes in Whangarei blends the classic with the modern:

Marley Typhoon spouting in copper beautifully highlights this cedar clad home in New Plymouth:

Not surprisingly, copper is one of Marley’s most popular colours in the Stratus Design Series^® range, and the perfect finishing touch to achieve that on-trend yet classic copper look that won’t date – without the cost or risk of theft that usual metal guttering has.

Get the look

Marley’s uPVC copper spouting and downpipes are available in Marley Typhoon^® spouting and RP80^® 80mm round downpipe, making copper not only affordable but also extremely hard-wearing.

Since it’s the copper look you want, you can trust Marley’s uPVC copper spouting to handle NZ’s harsh sun to protect from discolouring or tarnishing with age over time. Marley’s uPVC spouting also mean coastal NZ homes can put copper spouting back on your wishlist without corrosion concerns.

Marley is available from leading plumbing and building supply merchants nationwide.

Beachlands facelift

12 June, 2017 by

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.

Whangaparaoa stunner

26 May, 2017 by

Spouting: Typhoon^®
Colour: Ironsand
Bracket Type: External
Downpipe: RP80^® 80mm Round Downpipe
Location: Whangaparaoa, Auckland