U Shape Gives Home X Factor

U shape gives home X factor

In real estate speak, this 3-bedroom Nelson home ticks all the boxes. And yes, it has an X-factor too. Which is hardly surprising given that the owners have extensive real estate and property development experience.

But unlike the many properties they had built in a commercial capacity over the last almost 30 years, this was a home they designed for themselves.

“It was all quite unexpected,” the owners recall. “About 12 years ago, we did an exclusive four home development in a very desirable area in Nelson and kept one of the homes for ourselves.

“Then one day last year, an agent knocked on the door and asked if we would consider selling. We hadn’t thought about it, but on receiving an acceptable offer and with my wife now working in Richmond, we found ourselves having to look for somewhere to go.”

Buy or build?

As the decision to move came suddenly, buying an existing house seemed like the most expedient option. But after looking around, they couldn’t find anything that met their expectations.

“Most of the houses we looked at in the $500,000 to $600,000 range had been spoilt with cheap kitchens and cheap bathrooms. The reality was that if we paid that sort of money, and then had to spend more to renovate, we would have probably over capitalised.

“Also, in many cases, we found a lot of houses were very close together, cheek by jowl. We wanted reasonable separation and we wanted it to be private.”

Having decided to build, they initially approached a group homebuilder, but were not comfortable with how the design process went.

“After deciding not to proceed with them, we approached David Todd, who I had worked with many years ago. We sketched an outline of the house, which probably took about 10 minutes. He came up with the goods first time, we tweaked a few things, and then we went for it.”

Light and sunny

David recalls that the brief was “very clear and specific”. “They wanted a simple home, completed to high standards, that had outdoor living areas to catch the sun at various times of the day and provide shelter from the south westerly wind.

“Because it was their home, they wanted to make it special and had thought about it a great deal.

The clients had worked out the layout, the room sizes, access to the courtyard ¬and virtually all of the key design features. I took their design and massaged it a bit to suit the site, and put my stamp on it. Given the aspect of the site and its location at the end of a cul de sac, the design naturally lead to a u-shaped house to provide maximum indoor-outdoor living and shelter from prevailing winds.”

At 233 sqm, the home is modest in size but is sited on a full-sized 933 sqm section. The u-shaped design allows for direct access to the large, sheltered outdoor living court through three sets of stacker doors. Access to the northern patio is from the family room and the southern patio access is via the entry. The master bedroom also has views and direct access to the courtyard.

An unusual feature of the third bedroom is that it has a full wall internal window between the hallway and outside patio to take advantage of natural light and sunshine in the winter. Throughout the home, extra large windows and a 2.55m stud height enhance the sense of spaciousness in what is a relatively compact home. “As we said to David, while we didn’t need a whole lot of unused space, we wanted a sense of spaciousness,” say the owners.

Fussy to the extreme

With their previous experience in property development, the owners decided to manage the project themselves.

“They took a pretty hard rein on the building process,” says David, “and because of their background in development, the project went smoothly. The only difficult issue, as always, was council requirements.”

When it came to choosing a builder, the husband had definite preferences.

“I had been working with John Kenmare on and off since 1984, and not only does he do excellent work, he knows how I think which is an advantage I find. I started my working life as a joiner which I suppose makes me a little fussier than most when it comes to building quality. He was joined by John McKenzie, another very competent tradesman who he had worked with many times before.”

Nothing cheap

As well as having a strong hand in the design, the owners made most of the decisions about material choices.

David comments: “They wanted to go for a plaster finish, a metal shake tile roof and cedar garage doors. With the garage being beside the front door, I suggested schist would enhance the overall look, and then we decided to extend the schist stonework panels to the chimney, around the entry and inside the house with a feature wall within the entry space.”

The exterior of the house is accentuated by feature accent trims around the windows, and topped off with a Gerard pressed steel roof. The owner had used a Corona Shake style roof in the development they did 12 years ago and liked the look so much, they decided to use it again for their own home.

“We chose it for its style mainly. We like the profile. We’ve used Gerard roofs many times before and it was natural to go with them.” With their aversion to “basic kitchens and bathrooms”, the owners paid special attention to these areas of their home. Even though they spared no expense with high quality fittings and finishes, the final building cost for the completed home came in under $500,000. So now that they’ve been in the home for seventeen months how do the owners feel about it?

“There’s no doubt that the living area is our favourite place. The large areas of glass throughout the home ensure that even in the middle of winter, the sun comes in at eight in the morning and it’s there until five at night. And the courtyard works really well too. It’s private and protected so you don’t have to worry about the wind whether it’s the southerly in winter or northerly in summer.”

Turning dreams into reality

What sets David Todd apart is he treats each client as an individual, tailoring the design of the home to suit.

“I don’t insist upon particular styles or materials and keep myself open to the different things people bring into the mix,” he says. “When they come in with photos and ideas of what they want I incorporate these into the design. I find out what the clients want to achieve and look at aspects such as the style, materials, indoor-outdoor flow and overall design.”

Director of David Todd Architectural Designers, David says he likes to spend time with each client to gain an understanding of what they envision and how the new home will fit in with their lifestyle. At the same time he works out how to create the most for them in accordance with their budget.

He says he starts each design project “with his ears”, listening carefully to what the clients are looking for and what the essential vision is for their new home, renovations, or industrial or commercial building.

A complete design service is offered for people wanting to build a new home, undertake renovations or refurbishments, or repair with flair. If required, David can also administer the building contract for clients and/ or provide site observation.

He has been in practice for 28 years and has enjoyed working with the newer trends for greener buildings and using improved material and products.

“Many people want their home to reflect their concerns for sustainability,” David says. “A commonsense approach to the issue can certainly help make the savings they want. Extra insulation, careful window placement, installing LED bulbs, having thermal mass features to store and release heat energy, using specified products and paints, recycling grey water, and taking care with the landscaping all contribute.”

For the stricter budget, a range of standardised house plans is available through Regency Homes, a division of David Todd Architectural Designers.

An active member of Architectural Designers NZ Inc. (ADNZ), David is both past president and a life member, is a Licensed Building Practitioner and has a Licence Class/Area of Practice Design D2.

Among his award-winning designs is the NIWA building at Port Nelson, the Hope Community Church, and Stihl Shop Nelson. David has also produced many outstanding, awardwinning, innovative designs for residences.