Colonial farmhouse in the Waikato

For Melanie Corry, her new home reminds her of the one her grandparents lived in and which she would visit as child. But, for all its traditional looks, this is a home with a high-tech difference.

The designer Bruce Parker (Bruce Parker Architectural Design Limited) from Hamilton was asked by the developer to use new James Hardie Linea® Weatherboard to create a traditional colonial farm house, with the familiar deep shadowlines and traditional detailing that has been a part of our rural landscape for over a century.

Linea Weatherboard is a new low density ceramic weatherboard that won't warp, split or rot, so maintenance and repainting are minimised.

That was a priority for owners, Peter and Melanie Corry. They were originally looking for a brick home but bought this Linea clad home because it offered the best of both worlds; a classic New Zealand weatherboard home built with a modern low maintenance material.

This timeless farmhouse sits among peaceful fields in the heart of the Waikato. It's on a rural lifestyle block and is one of only a few homes in a unique subdivision where the houses are separated from one another by the paddocks of a working dairy farm. The home catches all day sun and has expansive rural views.

Inside there is spacious open plan living with the kitchen, dining and lounge area opening out through French doors to the veranda. A second living area at the other end of the house is used by the family as a television and hobby room. The home has three bedrooms and two bathrooms.