Reborn! From Brick Box to Award-Winner
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We're used to hearing about dramatic makeovers on old villas and bungalows, and even on homes born in the 60s and 70s, but it's unusual to hear about a total rip-apart and re-build of a home that's only seven years old. That's the story behind this award-winning home clad in Linea® Weatherboard. The owners, Gary and Natalie Boyte, had previously lived in a much-loved beautifully restored villa on a block of land at Te Puna. Although they were very attached to the house, they needed more land for their horses and an avocado orchard. When they finally found the right piece of land on the outskirts of Tauranga, they loved everything about it, everything except the seven year old brick and tile house on it. “When I found the land, I loved it,” says Gary. “There was all the room we needed for horses, avocados, and kids. The only trouble was Natalie loved the old house we lived in and she wasn't that keen on moving. I knew she'd hate this house. It was everything she didn't like – brick and tile, small, no character and no connection to the land. I just decided there and then that we'd have to do whatever it took to create the sort of home we both wanted for the family.” The Boytes bought the property and approached local architect, Brendon Gordon to design a home for them that had everything they were looking for – space, indoor-outdoor flow, big shady verandahs, open plan living and most of all, character. “We knew we definitely wanted weatherboards and timber joinery,' says Gary. “And it had to have a three-metre stud.” Brendon worked closely with Gary and Natalie to come up with house plans that they were all happy with. A spacious 4 bedroom family home with plenty of living space, wide shady wrap-around verandahs and clad in Linea Weatherboard. “I didn't know anything about Linea,” says Gary. “All I knew was that it had to look exactly like traditional weatherboards. I'd assumed you could only get that with timber, but when I saw Linea I was impressed. When people visit the house they naturally assume its traditional weatherboard – you can't tell the difference.” In the end little remained of the existing house. “We managed to save the garage, the downstairs bathrooms and a couple of walls,” says Brendon. The brick went. The tiles went. The aluminium joinery went. Another 100m² was added downstairs. The stud height downstairs was raised to 3m. Upstairs another storey was added and the roof was re-pitched. Timber joinery was installed throughout and the whole house was re-clad in Linea Weatherboard. Inside, careful planning and attention to detail has resulted in a home that feels very warm, loved, and lived in. Downstairs, the living, kitchen, lounge and dining space is open-plan, with three bedrooms also on this level, all opening out onto the wide shady verandahs that encircle the house on three sides. Upstairs, the master bedroom, dressing room and ensuite bathroom provide parent-space. As Natalie explains, the new home not only has all the charm of the old one, but it also has some major advantages. “Our old home had all the character and charm, but it also had all the problems of a home of its age. It was cold and draughty. This home is so much lighter and easier to heat – even with the 3 metre high ceilings, the big open spaces, and all the windows and doors, it's really warm. That's the difference that insulation and good natural ventilation makes.” The end result is something that everyone is justifiably proud of – and it has won accolades in the 2004 Master Builders Home of the Year Awards. So far the home has won the Bay of Plenty Region prize for renovation over $200,000 as well as The People's Choice Award – a new category which allows consumers to vote for their favourite homes. The home now goes on to the national finals, to be judged soon. Read more articles related to this story: Read other related articles...
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