Lakeside luxury
One Canterbury couple proudly lays claim to a contemporary and timeless award-winning home by Metzger Builders Limited (MBL).
When one couple’s Southshore home was condemned following the quakes, they sought solid ground to the north of the city and prepared to embark on a new chapter.
Offering them a similar outdoor lifestyle and connection with nature to the one they’d grown accustomed to by the beach, the site in Clearwater also came with magnificent vistas. With the Port Hills to the south and emerald expanses of Clearwater’s putting green across the lake to the north, the pair had found their perfect patch.
Their brief was simple: a bright, sunny family home, designed in sympathy with the surrounding ‘boathouse-style’ dwellings, that embraced the natural environment and promoted effortless entertaining indoors and out, year round.
During the tender process, the couple say they had a good feeling about Mark and Ali Metzger from the get-go. And, with total confidence in their abilities to deliver the ‘unparalleled finish’ they sought, the pair secured MBL as the main contractor.
Taking the reins once construction began, the team at MBL project managed the entire build. Transparent and regular communication was achieved through weekly progress updates with the clients that often included suggestions for improvements throughout.
Communication, Mark says, is the vital ingredient that shapes the success of any building project. And, in order to remain on schedule and within budget, Mark played the pivotal role, liaising between the clients, his building team and subcontractors at every step.
Through their dedication and meticulous attention to the finer details, the homeowners say the building team showed ‘enormous pride’ in their work. Their friendly approach and industrious work ethic made for a pleasant and engaging experience with rewarding results.
The Celcrete Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC) panel system from Celcrete Cladding Solutions gives the boathouse’s exterior its pristine finish.
As Lightweight Concrete (LWC) Building Systems specialists with the longest standing vented cavity system on the market, Celcrete Cladding Solutions are favoured by homeowners, architects, architectural designers, housing companies and independent builders alike.
Specialising in the supply and installation of New Zealand’s highest quality lightweight concrete cladding and reinforced plaster system: this solid, inert, lightweight masonry building material, with external plaster finish, delivers a strong, lightweight and smart solution on both residential and commercial buildings.
By using stainless steel screws and treated timber battens, Celcrete Cladding is the only AAC system that offers a 20 year guarantee on all Celcrete products and a 5 year guarantee on workmanship. With a solid reputation for meticulous attention to detail, the highly skilled and professional Celcrete Cladding Solutions teams install the system from start to finish, ensuring optimal performance and an impeccable finish.
Supplying the vast majority of building materials for the project, from the timber frames and trusses, to the exterior cladding and precast concrete, to all interior linings and the solid oak internal doors, PlaceMakers Cranford Street is the building supplier of choice for MBL. And, owing to their longstanding relationship and collaborative approach, they ensure the build ran smoothly.
Having worked on many of the couple’s previous projects, interior designer Anne Roy was brought on board to guide the couple through the selection of materials and the colour palette, right through to choosing specific furniture pieces, lighting, textiles and artwork – which, combined, give the home its contemporary, yet timeless appeal.
Davinia Sutton from Detail by Davinia Sutton designed the award-winning kitchen and interior barbeque area to meet the couple’s everyday needs. With a front and rear kitchen, the space has the capacity to expand to allow for entertaining on a larger scale.
As a nod to the homeowner’s trade as a butcher, white brick tiles form the backdrop to stainless steel worktops, which are paired with oak veneer kitchen cabinetry stained with Resene Fuscous Grey.
Handcrafted and installed by Fineline Joinery Canterbury, the pièce de résistance is the handsome solid oak butcher’s block, which does double duty as both the focal point and the dividing element between the kitchen and the dining area beyond.
The hub and heart of the modern home, the kitchen design and aesthetic eloquently strikes a fine balance between the utilitarian and the opulent, with the addition of designer cage pendant lights from Foscarini as the final flourish.
Creating a warm and inviting ambience in the five living areas is the Escea DX1000 multiroom gas fireplace. Escea’s clever heat ducting technology captures up to 90% of all available heat it generates and returns it back into the room. Its award-winning design also lends an air of timeless sophistication to the home’s modern aesthetic.
The master bedroom’s spacious His and Hers walk-in robe features Simply Wardrobes’ Cabinet Wardrobe System. For optimal organisation, the pair chose a few useful additions from the Simply Wardrobes accessory range, including pullout valet pins and a retractable ironing board, as well as a felt-lined jewellery drawer for her, and tie and belt drawer for him.
The couple’s master en suite – also designed by Davinia Sutton – is the ultimate oasis. A place ‘to restore and linger in’‚ Davinia says, clean lines and sleek surfaces were achieved through the careful selection of bathroom fixtures and fittings courtesy of Oakleys Plumbing Supplies.
Guided by Davinia’s choice of products for the fives bathrooms, including the award-winning guest en suite, Oakleys supplied all luxury Italian tapware from Fantini Milano, including wall mounted taps over the basins, and the sleek and sophisticated freestanding Apaiser Sublime Bath.
A Vola overhead shower rose was paired with the Fantini Mint shower sliders, while the New Zealand-made DCS Siroco modular heated towel rails were chosen for their simple, modern form. And, in the powder room, the Apaiser Sanctum Nimbus Stone Vessel Basin provides a stylish focal point.
Installing the water reticulation system to facilitate the immediate flow of hot water from the tap, Andy MacDonald of MacDonald Plumbing also worked in close collaboration with Davinia Sutton to reposition all tile modules – with the utmost attention to detail – to align perfectly with all fixtures and fittings in each bathroom.
Creating continuity throughout the home’s main thoroughfares and all five bathrooms, BellaRoc supplied Italian floor tiles from the Provenza Zero range, chosen for its warmth and tactile quality; while exquisite negative detailing was achieved on both interior and exterior stair treads and patio using handcrafted tiles from the same range. And, exclusive to BellaRoc, Azulej tiles from the Mutina range were used to line the floors in the downstairs powder room and lift car.
Offering supreme comfort and warmth underfoot, luxurious Cavalier Bremworth carpets were rolled out in all main living areas as well as the four bedrooms, dressing rooms and lobby; while the preeminently cost-effective and durable needlepunch carpet from Irvine – Crazy XL, in Anthracite – was laid on the floors in the garage, storeroom and gymnasium. All carpets were supplied and installed by Nextdore.
Designing and installing all electrical and automated systems throughout the luxury home, Phil Le Poidevin of Elite Automation says, by using the best possible components - such as HDL, Blink, Axium and B&W - they are able to ensure optimal performance. From the automated blinds to the audio visual components to all data and wifi elements, Elite Automation has created the ultimate smart home that simplifies modern life. And, working alongside the MBL team and various other subcontractors, Phil says that ‘the unity required for a job well done invariably makes jobs like this very rewarding.’
Independent Doors supplied all internal doors, cavity sliders and robemakers. Creating continuity throughout the home, American White Oak solid core veneer was used on all internal pre-hung doors, finished with pine door jambs and fixed pin hinges; while the oversized cavity sliders, also in oak timber veneer, were used to separate different living zones.
Providing excellent thermal performance for the windows throughout the lakeside home, Rylock Pacific Thermal PRO Suite Windows, in natural anodised silver with a sheer finish, were selected, and Rylock Eurosliders and Eurostacker doors with Smoothtech systems were selected for their superb easy sliding function. Throughout, flush sills and flat-faced frames complement the home’s contemporary style. And, creating a seamless finish, the expansive glazed roof incorporates doors that disappear into a hidden cavity.
Taking in the views across the lake, the couple enjoy playing a round of golf on a fine day and love relaxing on the deck of the separate boathouse that hovers above the lake. Benefitting from its own kitchen, they say it’s an ideal isolated spot for dinner parties, away from the main house, which makes it feel like ‘being on holiday without having to travel far from home’.
With a glass of wine in hand, sheltered from the biting nor’easterly wind, the pair has found solid footing on their new patch of paradise.
