Showhomes > Enduring beach style at Omaha

Enduring beach style at Omaha

Driving through the newly formed streets of Omaha is rather like taking a potted tour of contemporary New Zealand coastal architecture. The homes here are substantial architecturally-designed beach houses that have had to pass muster with the Omaha Design Committee.

It's a long, long way from the eclectic clusters of kiwi baches that historically sprung up, almost organically, along the New Zealand coast line. This is planned, designed, manicured, and highly sought-after beachside living. One company who is making a big impact in this well-heeled neighbourhood, is Enduring Homes Ltd who has recently completed three new homes in the area.

All Enduring Homes begin life in a vast South Auckland factory, where they are built under-cover, then trucked to the location, with finishing work done on site.

“Overseas, this is a common building method, particularly in Scandinavia and the United States,” says Enduring Homes Managing Director, Stephen Barclay. “Building in the factory gives us complete control over the process, so there's no time lost to bad weather, or waiting for sub contractors. That means that we can cut building time without cutting corners.”

Stephen says that the homes can be completed in as little as three months, from the time the council plans are approved and the contract signed, to the new owners moving in. “Another big advantage is that when you are building a home in a more remote area it gets around the problem of finding a local builder.”

“Anyone who is under the impression that a ‘modular home' means sameness, rather than individuality, only needs to look at these three homes at Omaha to see that that's not the case,” says Stephen. “All three are versions of our ‘Chardonnay' home design, and all three are completely different.”

The homes can be clad and configured in a variety of different ways, but always, with a large central deck creating the hub of the home, and providing essential sheltered outdoor living.

“We've designed a home that absolutely celebrates the kiwi beach lifestyle and creates light, airy spaces that flow effortlessly from indoors to out,” says Enduring Homes architect, Stefan Cornelius. “But the house plans are just the starting point. Each home can be designed and customised to suit the particular family's needs. You can add bedrooms, bathrooms, change the total floor and deck size, change the cladding, the internal finishes – you name it really. The result is that our customers get a designer house, customized to their needs, to the site, the sun and the budget – all at a standard-build price.”

The home pictured above is clad in James Hardie Linea® Weatherboard and Monotek® Sheet, with the Linea Weatherboards finished in Dulux Glenbrook and the Monotek Sheet painted a lighter shade in Dulux Narrowneck.

“It's a great combination,” says Stephen. “The strong shadow lines of the Linea weatherboards contrast with the flatter monolithic Monotek surface. Using a duo-tone paint finish really enhances the combination of the two surfaces and adds interest.”

“Sixty per cent of the homes we build go into coastal locations, so obviously it's essential to use materials that are going to stand up to the conditions. We're huge fans of James Hardie cladding products, not only for their durability, but also their design flexibility. "

This home, built around a generous 70m² deck, has large Vantage Aluminium 35mm bi-fold doors, opening up to create an easy indoor-outdoor flow.

Inside, the emphasis is on materials that are hard-wearing, easy care, and look great. A good example of this is the use of Strandboard on the floors. Stained a dark chestnut colour, the board creates a great look – and it's easy to sweep free of sand...perfect for the beach.

The bathroom has been fully tiled, with Tile and Slate Underlay used behind the floor tiles and Villaboard® Lining used behind the wall tiles, to create a stable, safe substrate that prevents tiles cracking due to shifting.

“When you are creating a beautiful bathroom, it's as important to think about what is going on out of view, as it is to think about how it looks on the surface,” says Stephen. " With this bathroom we have created a great look, with a fully-tiled, glass-free shower cavity. The quality of the tiling is everything, so we wouldn't risk anything less behind it.”

Read about two other Enduring Homes beach homes at Omaha:

Tamata Rd, Omaha – visit another version of this home plan.
Tohora Cres, Omaha - take a look at a two-storey version of this home clad in Linea Weatherboards and Titan Panel.

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