Room for the whole family… and friends
A large section and plenty of space to live and grow is what many New Zealanders consider the ideal home. As Kiwis, we all love to spend time relaxing and playing outside, entertaining friends, and enjoying the warm weather. And it was this lifestyle that inspired architectural designer Andrew Nelson when he designed this showhome for David Reid Homes.
Located in Waimauku, West Auckland, close to the rugged Muriwai surf beach and minutes from Woodhill State Forest, the house sits on a generous 1500m2 site and is oriented to the north to make the most of all-day sun.
With a floorspace of 267m2 (of which only 10m2 is hallway), it features an effective V-shaped design, with the large, open-plan living spaces at one end and the bedrooms at the other. Aside from the office and service rooms, every room in the house is north facing and opens onto the expansive 100m2 deck that wraps around its northern façade.
“The home is comprised of two independent but linked modules,” says designer Andrew Nelson. “The living module incorporates multifunctional formal and open-plan living areas with high pitched ceilings. A quiet sitting space separates the bedroom zone – which features four large bedrooms – from the living areas, providing privacy and noise control.”
As you'd expect in a home designed for family and entertaining excellent indoor-outdoor flow is a key feature of the design. Bifold doors open out onto the deck and large overhanging soffits lined with James Hardie HardieGroove extend 1.8m out over the deck. Not only do these wide overhangs provide shade and shelter, but they create the perfect transition from inside to out, and make the interior of the house seem twice as large as it actually is.
Every aspect of the home was built with practicality in mind, says Chris Bell, director for David Reid Homes West Auckland.
“The placement of each wall and window was carefully thought out to optimize space, views, sunlight and privacy,” he says. “The suspended concrete flooring system provides an excellent substructure and acts as natural insulation, trapping the heat during the day and releasing it at night.”
The house is finished in a combination of plaster and V-Groove Plywood, and feature elements such as the chimney and wing walls are clad in James Hardie Linea weatherboard. Chris says James Hardie products were an obvious choice for the showhome.
“Like all David Reid Homes, this Waimauku showhome was designed and built with a strong emphasis on practicality, durability and quality,” says Chris. “It's the same philosophy James Hardie has with the development and manufacture of its products. And we've had a great working relationship with James Hardie for some time.”
Linea weatherboards were selected for the exterior due to their long life and the fact that they can be painted dark colours without the risk of splitting or cracking.
“Because of its rural setting, we chose a natural colour scheme for the home. From the very start, we wanted the weatherboards to be painted Resene Ironsand,” says Chris. “In fact, we designed the whole exterior colour scheme around this shade, so we needed a durable, low-maintenance weatherboard that could handle such a dark colour. That's an appealing feature of Linea weatherboards – the freedom to paint them any colour you like.”
An important aesthetic and practical design feature of the house is the Linea-clad wing walls that extend off the house onto the deck. These act as screens, providing privacy to certain areas, particularly the master bedroom. They also ensure the bi-fold doors have a solid backing to open onto.
“The master suite is enhanced by a pair of Linea-clad wing walls extending out onto the deck to give the room a lovely secluded feel,” says the designer. “Although it shares the main deck and access to the outdoor areas, the master bedroom is a real private retreat that cannot be viewed from any other room in the house.”
James Hardie Villaboard was used to line the walls and showers of the ensuite and main bathroom – a product that Chris says was chosen to give peace of mind.
“Having a solid and water-resistant wall lining is an absolute necessity when designing wet areas using tiles,” he says, “and probably 95% of our wet areas involve tiles.”
Since it opened at the end of last year, this David Reid Homes showhome has proved a huge hit with those who have visited it.
“It was important for us to build a house that was not simply a showhome, but a real home,” says Chris. “Our success in achieving this is evident in the feedback we've had from people who've visited. Everyone who's been through it has commented that it truly feels like a home, rather than just a display home, which reflects the attention to detail and quality that went into the design and construction.”
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