Homes

Every great project has a great team. Clients, designers, builder. We establish the design team as appropriate within our office and recruit specialist engineers, planners and cost advisers where required. It is about forming a good relationship and mutual understanding. 

Firstly, we consult to understand your needs, lifestyle and plans for the future.

We do not have ‘standard plans’. We do have a body of work that we use to demonstrate the many different styles we work with. We offer a unique solution to each client’s particular needs and site setting.

We encourage clients to bring a scrapbook of what they like (and don’t like). Sometimes existing furniture pieces are important.

We work with you to establish the brief and formalise your requirements, before proceeding. This includes establishing a realistic budget at the outset to avoid surprises later.

The location of the home should create sunny, sheltered, outdoor entertaining spaces to the north and east if possible, to avoid the notorious westerly winds we get in Taranaki. In effect, we create the site first and then the house. The front entry and garage should ideally have level access. An entry, flanked by a beautiful garden, can soften the built form and create a welcoming gesture. 

Various designs, space relationships and sizes are explored until we settle on the best solution. Designs are tested and evaluated. 3D computer modelling of the house is invaluable for the design development and client understanding. 

We consider the town planning requirements for your site and advise on compliance or the need for resource consent for the preferred design.

We work from lose concept sketches to resolve the big issues then move to tighter plans and 3D forms. We enjoy working with our clients, as the design evolves and levels of detail are built up. Together, we are able to select all fittings, lighting and finishes to a suitable quality, and include in the competitive pricing process.

We design in a range of styles as appropriate for the setting and client lifestyle. Straight lines of concrete panel and aluminium weather boards provide for low maintenance in high salt spray areas. Concrete walls also allow a concrete first floor, which is far better than a creaky wooden floor and gives thermal storage within the house, providing a nice even temperature.

Internally, a full height entry void may give a sense of light and space. Large windows and stacker doors provide an indoor outdoor flow, as well as views of the gardens. Natural light is a very important design aspect and, if handled well, can be the making of a home.

The kitchen is often the pivot point of the living area and may open to outside entertaining as well as indoor dining. Nooks for entertaining unit or library can be discreetly built into the living area. It is best to plan everything and set in the correct place, including the television and surround sound audio system. This avoids confusion on site and rushed decisions later.

For interiors, we like to work with muted palettes which give the home a light airy feeling.  Highlight colours can be added in the form of feature walls, wallpapers and furnishing/window dressings. Polished ceramic tiles are used for wet area flooring and the bathrooms are all fully tiled with quality fittings, where the budget allows.

Designing a new home or alteration is more complex than many clients realise at first. We handle all the issues from start to end. We present options and make recommendations. We provide detailed working drawings for consenting, with specifications describing the materials, finishes and fittings quality required.

These are a valuable resource and enable competitive pricing of the project.

We recommend contractors and arrange the contract and tendering processes.