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Luxury life on the canal at Marsden Cove

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Watching the sun rise over the canal, early birds Craig and Sue Roulston are delighted with their new retirement sanctuary at Marsden Cove. With a private jetty on calm waters leading to the Whangarei Harbour, it is simply the perfect setting for their brand-new home.

The north-east facing, two-storey property’s deluxe features required superb teamwork and seamless communication to ensure a successful end result.

“There was an incredible amount of steel and glass and a lot of work in the build,” says Craig Cogan of Craig Cogan Builders, who has constructed seven other properties in the Northland development. “Cantilevered decks off the front, plus louvre screens off the decks, down the side, and over the entrance, required a lot of thought and careful construction to bring it all together.”

Keeping to a ‘luxurious and low-maintenance’ brief, the homeowners, Craig and Sue, went with Trespa® Meteon® for the exterior, a high impact cladding seldom used in New Zealand residential builds. With panels cured using an Electron Beam Curing (EBC) technology, they are resistant to weather and light and give a strong, highly stable but decorative panel.

The Marley Stratus Design Series® Stormcloud® spouting and RP80® downpipes in black blend in so well, they can hardly be seen! But they are still the perfect products to use with the house being so close to a salt water way. With a 15 year guarantee Craig and Sue have peace of mind – it will definitely not rust!

Craig and Sue agree that an abundance of insulation, double glazing, and the layout of the interior, all helped to create a superbly sustainable home.

“In winter, the atrium over the dining area allows the heat from downstairs to flow upward and warm the whole house. In summer we open up the whole front of the house – all the ranch sliders – and barbecue out there. It is glorious.”

Thanks to Craig Cogan Builders and NZ Certified Builders for this content.

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.

 

Black home design trends 2017

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No other country in the world loves black as much as New Zealand does. Some might say we’re obsessed with it. It’s one colour that’s never gone out of fashion in clothing, cars, and sports teams.
And now it’s the turn of architecture and interior design.

Black design inspiration

From statement street-appeal to stylish, sleek interiors, black is a stand-out colour trend in 2017.

It’s the architecture and interior designer’s equivalent of fashion’s little black dress, instantly transforming your home and adding a touch of glamour.

Get inspired for your new home build or next renovation with these black home design ideas, from stand-out exteriors, to sleek interiors.

Black street appeal

The strong black timber cladding exterior of this beach house is balanced with lighter wood decking and pale grey cobblestones. Monochrome outdoor furniture echoes the house’s modern shape and colour scheme.

Mid-century modern gets moody

Black is also making its mark on the Mid-Century Modern trend this year. This trend shows no signs of slowing down in 2017. Taking cues from the 1930’s to 1960’s, this minimalist movement combines grid-like elements and a ‘less is more’ philosophy.

Black in the kitchen

The kitchen above takes direction from the Mid-Century Modern trend, using black to bridge man-made with organic. The black and natural wood cabinetry and island delineate this open-plan kitchen, contrasting against the grid wall of concrete tiles. The paler-wood floorboards direct the eye to the view, with black steel framing the picture window.

Add a touch of industrial

All white and bright at home but missing a bit of drama? Adding black accessories anchors your space without the cost of a full makeover. This kitchen’s industrial-style black pendant lights, black metal stools, and black tapware, provide an affordable way to reflect the trend.

Black bedroom

Black bedrooms

A light, bright bedroom like this scandi-inspired haven make black interior walls an inspired choice. The soft, matte black walls make a perfect back-drop for the gold side-table and ornate mirror. Glossy white cabinetry, white-washed floorboards and clean white ceilings and windows frame the black beautifully.

Black spouting for the perfect finish

From modern to traditional, residential and commercial roofing can now be stylishly defined, and underlined, in rich, glossy black.

An innovative design statement from Marley, black is the latest addition to the Marley Stratus Design Series® range of uPVC spouting and downpipe systems.

Gloss Black is available in Marley Typhoon®, Stormcloud® and RP80® 80mm Round Downpipe systems.

Available from leading plumbing and building supply merchants nationwide.

Contact Marley