The owners of this sprawling Fendalton residence were so impressed with the quality of Form Builders’ work on their architect neighbour’s home, that they recruited the experienced team to complete their Mediterranean-inspired beauty next.

All up, the team from Christchurch-based residential build specialists, Form Builders, spent two and a half years working in the one street in Fendalton. Trusted with building the new home of high-profile architect, the late Maurice Mahoney, the company was soon asked to price an ambitious project at the neighbouring property. There’s possibly no better recommendation than seeing first-hand the quality of Form’s work on the Mahoney’s home — which was a national category winner at the Registered Master Builders House of the Year 2016 — so the owners of the property next door engaged director Matt Stevenson and his team with the utmost confidence.

Taking inspiration from a home spotted while travelling, the owners had a vision of a Mediterranean-style home, complete with expanses of open plan living (130-140 square metres), covering a total area of over 320 square metres. Nestled into a quiet cul-de-sac and backing onto the picturesque Wairarapa stream, the design makes the most of the land, built almost boundary to boundary except for the tastefully landscaped courtyard and complementary planting.

The large scale of this house meant a lot of the drainage needed to be installed underfloor, a task undertaken by a trusted subcontractor to Form Builders, Raika Drainage. Emmanual Raika and his team collaborate on all of Form Builders projects and pride themselves on their level of professionalism and quality workmanship.

Building supplies including the frames, Gib, batts, flooring, and doors plus the oversized 17metre roof trusses were supplied and delivered to site by PlaceMakers Cranford Street. Melanie Parsons of PlaceMakers says, “It was a great project to partner on, and our staff enjoyed working with the building team on-site to ensure the build ran smoothly, with good communication being the most valuable aspect of a successful build.”

The size of the open plan area meant the design required a large amount of structural steel, which created challenges for the Form Builders team, as steel and timber will move independently of each other. Site access also made life interesting, and Matt describes lifting in the trusses with a hired crane as much like threading a needle.

Form Builders has been in business for more than 15 years, and Matt says the company ethos has always been to do everything they can to look after the client. “We want our clients to know they are in the right hands. Building is daunting, and we are there to guide them through that process. It’s up to us to do the research, have the product knowledge, and local knowledge, to get the most out of a project,” he says.

In this case, the finished home is spectacular. The angular exterior shines in bright white, and the light colour scheme continues inside where it’s paired with the rich warmth of the rimu flooring. The open plan communal spaces comprise the superbly sleek galley-style kitchen, dining and living, plus a stunning bar area for entertaining.

In the beautiful yet highly functional galley-style kitchen, Trends Kitchens worked with the clients brief to specify 18mm AGT panels in Elite White with a gloss finish with a benchtop in TriStone matte finish in Milk Grotto in the kitchen and Pure White in the adjoining butler’s pantry. Trends worked closely with the client to create a minimalist kitchen that shines with little details, such as the wine fridge tucked inside the kitchen island.

Interior: Beautiful rimu flooring adds warmth to the light and bright interior spaces. — **Interior:** Beautiful rimu flooring adds warmth to the light and bright interior spaces.

Engaged to design and manufacture all of the joinery in the home, Trends also installed wardrobes in the bedrooms and a functional laundry. Trends carefully considered every aspect of this project, and the high-end finish has no doubt left the owners feeling confident and inspired.

On an architectural build of this calibre, every detail must be considered, and Ben from Pro Finish Plastering says, “On this kind of high-end project we take every step to make sure we get a high-quality finish. There’s no room for error.” Pro Finish has worked alongside Form Builders as a trusted subcontractor for more than five years. For this project, he and his team completed the interior plastering prior to painting, to create the flawless interior look.

The floor plan includes four bedrooms plus a study, and upstairs guests can enjoy their own near self-contained wing with a kitchenette. To make the most of maximum solar gain, the glazing is extensive and integral to the linear design of the two floors.

Window joinery manufacturer and supplier, Design Windows, priced the job from the plans and then flew the builder and client from Christchurch to the West Coast to go over the joinery in their Greymouth showroom, where options were discussed that could meet both the client’s needs and the budget.

The materials selected were the Altherm Metro suite windows, and doors in matte black powder coat with Icon Stainless Steel door furniture with powder-coated Urbo window handles. These selections were made for both their looks, the span of the windows and doors and thermal efficiency performance. Chris from Design Windows says, “We were particularly proud of the internal sliding door track that Form Builders machined into the timber floor. It is always special to be involved in a build where the high level of excellence has been acknowledged.”

To ensure temperature control in all seasons, North Canterbury Energy Centre installed a whole-home climate control solution for air conditioning, and heating using a Daikin concealed ducted system incorporating linear diffusers for style and performance. Space was tight, but Matthew Withers from NCEC says, “We worked closely with Form and their engineers to ensure we could get everything to fit without any compromises.”

The stunning finished home is much loved by its owners; empty-nesters who’s overseas-based extended family often come to stay. Matt from Form Builders says the two neighbouring houses could not have been more different, each with unique challenges, and having worked closely with his client he now calls them friends as well. And, as a crowning achievement to his time in the neighbourhood, this project has recently been awarded Gold at the 2019 Registered Master Builders House of the Year awards. Reason to feel proud, indeed.