For the owners of this elegant Mt Pleasant creation, the decision to work with Young Architects resulted in a hillside home that far exceeds their expectations.

WORDS Anna Scaife PHOTOGRAPHY Dennis Radermacher

With every project to build a new home comes a few surprises, and in the case of this Mt Pleasant home designed by Young Architects and built by McKenzie Builders, they were all pleasant ones.

“We noticed that the house stays tidier, and when we have friends over they tend to stay much longer; they get very comfortable,” says owner Lyn.

The couple’s brief to architect, Greg Young, of Young Architects was for a home that was cool, modern, with plenty of natural light and height to make the most of the spectacular views. Minimal maintenance and connectedness between the work areas, offices and living areas were essential to them, and Lyn says the home works perfectly for their lifestyle.

“We love the open plan living area that includes our kitchen, dining and living room that extends on to the balcony as an outdoor extension to the room that, in turn, frames our view. The area is spacious for entertaining, but also intimate enough for day to day living. Then, of course, we love our workspaces – mine for art and sewing and David’s workshop for his luthier work – making his guitars. During the lockdown, the home was a haven for us,” she says.

The striking exterior of the building pairs the dark Siberian larch, with Colorsteel Espan roofing and cladding. The black finish on the Siberian larch is achieved using an ancient Japanese technique (Shou Sugi Ban) charring, brushing and applying char oil to the wood to make it waterproof and more durable. New Zealand company Chartek has mastered the art of achieving this beautiful but low-maintenance timber finish.

Murray Read from Chartek says, “Young Architects and the clients were impressed by the charring process, which preserves the cladding with little or no maintenance. This was very important as the home is built on the hill and it would require significant cost to repaint or re-stain other types of cladding.”

PlaceMakers Cranford Street supplied the Siberian larch as well as the frames, trusses and a variety of building materials for the interior and exterior spaces. PlaceMakers’ Dan Powick says, “It was a stunning build to be a part of. After many years of working with McKenzie Builders, we have a great relationship, and that really matters when you’re involved in a spectacular build such as this one. Alongside the builder, we did everything possible to make sure our service matched the high standards required to complete this project.”

From the street frontage, this home is unassuming. Designed to look towards the enchanting view that stretches over the city to the Southern Alps, the drama of the main profile, inspired by the forms of the Southern Alps, is concealed. Split over two levels, the house works with the topography, stepping down the hillside rather than cutting in. Recesses in the exterior skin of the building are clad in Health Based Building’s Foreverbeech West Coast Red Beech, which gives a beautiful warm contrast to the dark larch and complements the other timbers used throughout the interior. Foreverbeech was a natural choice being a sustainably grown and harvested hardwood known for its stability and breathability and rich, resilient finish.

The interior of this serene space is notable for its simplicity. The open plan living and kitchen make a hero of the view, and despite the ceiling height retains a cosiness achieved partially by the addition of the large ply bookcase that demarcates the lounge and conceals the stairwell. Above, the mezzanine floor features a beautiful vaulted timber ceiling.

The feature bookcase and bathroom vanity along with all of the joinery in David and Lyn’s home, was manufactured and installed by the skilled team from Brent Johnson Joinery who frequently works with both Young Architects and McKenzie Builders. BellaRoc Calacatta marble was used in the ensuite bathroom and the kitchen island benchtop, creating a dramatic feature. “The stone benchtop is unusual because it flows over the back of the island and it’s all mitred to create the angles. That was a challenge, but it looks great,” says Brent.

Young Architects has significant experience designing homes for the hills around Christchurch and Greg stresses the importance of getting the design right when investing in your new home.

EXTERIOR Cladding PlaceMakers supplied the siberian larch and Chartek charred the larch in Christchurch, turning it into a low maintenance black cladding. — **EXTERIOR** Cladding PlaceMakers supplied the siberian larch and Chartek charred the larch in Christchurch, turning it into a low maintenance black cladding.

“The design is the most important part of creation. It may sound arrogant, but you should never cut corners on design, especially on your most expensive asset. By knowing the environment we’re working in, we’re able to create something that works for the location, while meeting our clients brief, using our experience to offer advice along the way,” says Greg Young.

David and Lyn could not agree more, noting how their home has already enhanced their busy lives. The timeless style and future-proofed accessible design mean the couple have achieved the enduring home they wanted, and plan to stay in for the rest of their lives.

FLOORING The timber floor is sustainably grown and harvested Foreverbeech, from Health Based Building. — **FLOORING** The timber floor is sustainably grown and harvested Foreverbeech, from Health Based Building.

“Every day, one of us will comment on how much we love this home. After we presented our brief, Greg was able to rapidly translate this into a design that he pretty much nailed from the first design iteration. We appreciated that Greg was receptive to ideas we had about adaptations to the design. We also loved having his encouragement to be brave in some of our choices. We couldn’t be happier with the results. We got the house we had hoped for and more.”