The newly completed Signature Homes show home in North Canterbury's Ravenswood offers customers a tempting glimpse of the kind of home they could enjoy.

Words Anna Scaife Photography Sarah Rowlands

It’s not easy to envisage how your new home will look simply by looking at the plans, and that's why the chance to wander through a show home offers a unique viewpoint that can both inspire new ideas or help to crystalise existing plans. Signature Homes’ latest show home, recently completed in the North Canterbury community of Ravenswood, offers a close up look at what's possible, allowing clients to see for themselves the quality they can expect from a Signature Home.

Ravenswood, situated at the north end of the Woodend township, offers a taste of country living with all its benefits such as beaches and rivers, the Waipara wine valley, Pegasus and Hanmer Springs. And all within a short distance of the central city, plus the nearby amenities and shopping at Woodend, Amberley and Rangiora. Residents can savour the peace of rural life just a short commute away from the bright lights of Christchurch.

Kitchen The kitchen joinery was designed and installed by Millbrook Kitchens, finished with StyleLite Carbon SuperMatte cupboard fronts.

Signature Homes offers a range of options to clients including design and build and house and land packages plus pre-designed homes. The show home at Ravenswood is mostly based on the Moturiki home from the Aspiring Collection, with minor alterations to add a bedroom. Adam Baylis, franchise owner for Signature Homes Christchurch North, says, “We put our clients first and recognise they all need different things from their homes. For that reason we cater for alterations and personalisation to the pre-designed homes, or there's the option of design and build.”

The unique design of the Moturiki home features a clear delineation between the living areas and the bedrooms formed by the walkway, which begins with the front path and extends to the rear of the house. A continuation of the exterior cladding through the hallway blurs the lines between outside and in and draws in light through the floor-to-ceiling glazing.

Benchtops The island benchtop is Silestone Gris while the rear bench is Prime laminate in Black Velvet with a matt finish, from Millbrook Kitchens.

The spacious living area features a cathedral ceiling and sun-drenched lounge, which opens out to the sheltered rear deck via sliding doors. A dining zone and chic designer kitchen complete the highly functional layout of the communal areas. Rangiora-based kitchen specialists Millbrook Kitchens designed, manufactured and installed the kitchen joinery. Millbrook Kitchens designer, Ange Pratt, says, “Signature Homes were after a sleek modern young vibe with the kitchen that was in keeping with the rest of the home. Being an open plan concept, the kitchen needed to have simple lines so it wouldn’t take over the space.”

Millbrook Kitchens has for many years enjoyed a stellar reputation both locally and in the wider Canterbury area. All Millbrook’s kitchens are custom-built, fitted with skill and absolute care and designed with the client's wants and needs foremost in the process. Millbrook Director, Andrew Millbrook, says, “With the Signature show home situated in Ravenswood it has become part of our beloved area. As a locally-owned and operated business, heavily involved in the community, it was a pleasure to work on this project with Signature Homes.”

Adam Baylis of Signature Homes is a qualified builder who has owned a Canterbury-based construction business for many years, operating as a trusted contractor to Signature Homes before joining the company as a franchise partner. Adam works with a select group of subcontractors, chosen for their proven track record. One such partner is Christchurch Electrical who completed all the wiring and installation of electrical fittings for the Ravenswood home. The team came on board to deliver the lighting, power, electrical layout design, TV and data using Switch Lighting New Zealand-made LED downlights plus Hager silhouette switches and outlets, chosen for their sleek slimline look.

Jared Welsh of Christchurch Electrical says, “We strive to create a warm, relaxing atmosphere for families to enjoy by offering a user-friendly electrical design service and high-quality electrical fittings.”

The layout of the home includes three generous bedrooms, one of which is configured as an office to demonstrate the flexibility of the spaces. All bedrooms include built-in storage, and the master boasts a stylish private ensuite. A spacious tiled family-style bathroom caters for the rest of the family.

The 140 square metre home design has two distinct pavilions with a gable frontage and includes a double internal access garage with an automatic sectional door. The exterior finish marries the warmth of vertical cedar cladding with a crisp plaster finish in fresh white.

The roofing material is Colorsteel trapezoidal iron roofing and is supplied and installed by Canterbury Roofing, long-time subcontractors to Signature Homes. Kevin Crawford of Canterbury Roofing has been in the business for twenty-five years, bringing expertise and experience to every project. As well as the roofing, Canterbury Roofing can take care of the fascias, gutters and downpipes. Registered roofing professionals, who hold NZQA qualifications in their field, and are licensed building practitioners, carry out all installations.

The overall impression of this exemplary property is of smart design, maximising the available land and combining the high ceiling with expanses of glazing to create an open and light-filled space. Superior fittings and finishes teamed with expert workmanship offer an assurance of quality to prospective home builders.

The show home, situated at 18 Shrimpton Avenue, is open by appointment at any time and all weekend for viewing or alternatively, the main office is at 30 Main North Road, Papanui.