When the Mullan family were looking to build a holiday home, they wanted to create a sanctuary to escape to, a place to unwind and relax and something completely different from their house in Auckland. Once they stepped inside the Lockwood show home in Kopu, they knew a Lockwood would be just perfect!
Thanks to Coastwood Homes, the build took only 6 months, including moving the existing house, and the Mullan family couldn’t be happier with the stunning result.
Before embarking on the build, the existing bach had to be removed. The biggest challenge on the site proved to be the ground.
The sand base was found to be incredibly challenging when trying to lay the piles so Israel and Katie from Coastwood Homes had to roll in a gigantic vacuum to clean out the pile holes and then 80 piles had to be laid.
Once this was done, the job went very smoothly. The Coastwood Homes team provided the Mullan’s daily updates and photos so they could see the home take shape.
The Mullan’s knew they wanted to keep the size of the home at around 140m² with three bedrooms and two bathrooms and had their hearts set on a sleek and modern black kitchen to contrast against the blonded timber of the interior.
A café-style kitchen and separate media room/lounge was a must, as well as laundry, separate toilet, and excellent storage space.
They spent time sketching and playing around with the interior layout then passed it to Israel to weave his magic, adding his flair and creativity to develop the design.
In the bathrooms, a tiled feature wall was key. Subway tiles were something they had considered, though they were open to ideas. The finished result of white textured tile is a twist on the classic look which looks stunning against the timber and black fittings.
Otherwise, we wanted a relaxed, pared back, beach inspired look and feel – we have tried to stay true to natural colours with our furnishings – blues, greens, browns, to bring the outdoors in.
The exterior was inspired by a Lockwood show home in Thames and features a quarter sawn pine exterior, on Lockwood’s solid wall system. It is painted in Dulux X10 in black.
Having had a lot of experience building homes on the coast, Coastwood Homes knew that salt spray can cause continual problems with soffits, steel spouting brackets and leaking joins. Their solution was to turn to local companies whose products are specifically made to stand up to New Zealand’s harsh conditions.
Coastwood Homes chose to partner with Marley for Stratus Design Series® Typhoon® spouting and RP80® downpipes in Black. With Dynex for their Dynex Soffit in white.
The low maintenance aspect of the Marley spouting was our initial appeal; it fits with the Lockwood brand of low maintenance products. The fact that it is also a New Zealand brand appeals a lot as well!
The fact that the spouting is available in black to match the roof and house colour made it an easy choice to go with Marley Typhoon® spouting. There is no need to paint anything to match and it is much more durable in a salty beach environment.
To contrast their Marley Stratus Design Series® Typhoon® Black spouting they used Dynex Soffit. Another long lasting, low maintenance New Zealand made product.
The Mullan’s also wanted to take a sustainable approach to their home. Marley and Dynex are both part of Meridian Energy’s Certified Renewable Energy programme aiming for 100% renewable electricity by 2025. Lockwood homes are built from renewable pine trees, so the whole home is both sustainable and renewable.
Since the build has been completed the Mullan family have enjoyed many weekends entertaining family and friends in their incredible holiday house. Covered outdoor spaces and decks connecting the front and back of the home provide the perfect place to relax.
We love sitting on the back deck under the enormous gable, completely protected from the elements but feeling completely immersed in the outdoors. We are totally rapt with every room in that house – there is nothing we would change.
Thanks to the awesome team at Lockwood for use of some of the photos for this article.
