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.
