Work space family space in Tauranga

Gary and Carol Gardner are no strangers to home renovations. They completely gutted and renovated two Tauranga homes, before they decided that the time was right to design and build a brand new house that would accommodate their family needs and Gary's architectural design business, GCG Design, all under one roof.

You might think that being the client and the designer would make the job easier.  “No way”, laughs Gary. “It took forever because I kept changing my mind!”.

“We wanted a home that gave the boys plenty of room to themselves, with a lawn to play on, in a quiet street where they would have the freedom to ride their bikes. But it also had to make a real impact on clients coming to see me here in my design office.”

When a piece of Linea® Weatherboard arrived in the mail, Gary could visualise it giving their new home the design edge he was looking for.

“I've always liked the look of traditional weatherboard with box corners and wide window trims, but I was put off by the maintenance it requires.  The fact that Linea is a complete system and can take dark colours swung it for me.” Gary and Carol are delighted with the end result.

“The colour has attracted so much attention, people come knocking on our door to ask us about it”

Gary and Carol worked closely with Interior Designer, Judy Lourens to create a flow of colour from the street front, right through the house and out into the North-facing outdoor living area.

Oatmeal-coloured concrete flooring has been used throughout the ground floor from the front entrance, into  Gary's Office, the living and kitchen area and out onto the courtyard. It's a perfect hard-wearing flooring surface for a family home, cool in summer, and, when the sun drops lower in autumn and winter, it retains the heat. 

The carpeted lounge area adjacent to the dining area is connected by cavity slider doors.

 “I'm over open-plan living”, explains Carol. “It's great to have the flexibility to open the room up, or shut it down.”

Another flexible separate living space has been created upstairs for sons Sam (11) and Chris (10). Their own kid's living area is a loft-style space that opens off their bedrooms – giving them a separate kids zone to play in or study,  well away from the downstairs living areas and Gary's office.

The Gardners project-managed the construction of the home themselves, using their builder on a labour-only basis. “We saved money doing it that way”, explains Gary. “But to be honest I'd only recommend it to someone who's had a fair bit of experience in the building industry.  You need to have very good communication with your builder and good connections to tradespeople and suppliers to make sure that you're actually getting materials and services at a good price.”

 “Linea has actually achieved more than we envisaged”, says Gary. “We are both thrilled with the overall look of the house from every angle.” 

It seems that the house has had the same impact on Gary's clients – since completing his house he has designed three more houses for clients all using Linea Weatherboard.