A true collaboration with Robertson Building and Solid Concept was the winning formula for these Canterbury homeowners.

WORDS Cassie Doherty PHOTOGRAPHY Bevan Triebels

The bricks in the external cladding are made in New Zealand by Canterbury Clay Bricks. They were intentionally laid to give a more textural finish, with the light and shadow changing the facade’s appearance at different times of day and over the seasons.

A gym membership can be very rewarding, in more ways than one. In the case of Ewan Hall and Karen Hossack-Hall, the local CrossFit is where they befriended both the builder and architectural designer, who would eventually collaborate with them on their dream home in Sefton, Canterbury.

“We pretty much had all the trades we needed in one spot,” jokes Ewan.

“The clients have been friends of mine for a while,” says Arthur Robertson, founder of Robertson Building. “So we priced the job up to make sure it was going to work within their budget, and worked very closely with them around that.”

That provided peace of mind for the couple when it came to the big step of building a house. Homeowner Karen says, “He encouraged us to go for it whenever we had an idea, and was quite honest about how much it would be, which was really great. It was our first build, so we felt really supported by his experience.”

Adds Ewan: “Arthur is a good communicator. He always kept us in the loop about what was happening and when key processes started or finished. If there were issues, we’d discuss things and come up with a solution.”

Luckily, any concerns were minimal, aside from the inevitable pandemic-induced material delays. Arthur managed the whole project from start to finish, and says it was a reasonably easy build.

The end result is a beauty. A modern, three-bedroom home with an integrated, self-contained studio, it’s low maintenance and energy efficient, consisting of linked twin-gabled forms. “It has good vibes,” says Karen.

Karen is a kitchen designer at Misco Joinery, and Ewan is a foreman for a civil landscaping company, so between them they had good ideas about what they wanted from the house.

“We wanted it to be casual,” says Karen. “And while we had lots of design influences, we wanted the house to sit sympathetically in the semi-rural environment.”

Helping them clarify their design was another long- time friend, Anthony Light of design and construction consultancy Solid Concept.

“We got to talking about their potential new house in Sefton village,” says Anthony. “Karen and Ewan brought a rough floor plan that they basically wanted me to turn into something that they could build. Being architectural designers, we are like conduits for our clients’ imagination. We take their ideas and transform them into something that can bring a lot of happiness. That’s the part of the job I enjoy most, working through designs.”

Anthony says their inspiration involved a farmhouse look, such as shearing sheds, particularly the corrugated iron gable-ended look. In addition, early in the process, Karen mentioned a nearby converted church. “That building partially inspired the steep roof pitch on the final design. There’s definitely a rural vibe to Sefton; it’s a quaint wee village, and I love it.”

Windows throughout the home by Altherm Canterbury ensure the comfort and easy-care aspects that were part of the homeowners’ wishlist.

The house is a relatively simple form, and the materials are low maintenance, which was important, Anthony says. “And part of the brief was to incorporate a self-contained secondary dwelling, for Karen’s mum, so that it still looks like one single home.”

Clever planning makes the home very liveable. Karen’s favourite element is the use of sun and light throughout. The concrete floors in the hallway act as a heat sink, warming the house while avoiding overheating the bedrooms.

Karen has a knack for interiors, says Anthony, and the landscaping was done mainly by Ewan. “Both Ewan and Karen got to use their skill sets to make this place, which is really nice. You feel more like part of a team.”

That team worked well together. “We’re super lucky,” says Ewan. “It was easy, just a really good collaboration.”

Both Arthur and Anthony enjoyed working with the pair, citing great examples of their input, such as the rustic brickwork, deliberately textural and painted a fresh white. “That was Karen and Ewan’s idea,” says Arthur. “It’s a really cost-effective option and it looks amazing. It came up a million bucks.”

The build went so well that it was an award-winner, earning Robertson Building a Regional Category win and a Regional Gold in the Canterbury New Home $500,000 - $750,000 category at the Registered Master Builders 2024 House of the Year awards.

“I’m really chuffed for both the builder and the clients,” says Anthony. “It was well deserved.”

It was the first time Arthur had entered the awards. “It was amazing to do so well,” he says. “It just shows the quality of workmanship that our team and our subcontractors have. It also came down to the design of the house, and the clients finishing it how they wanted. We’re stoked.”

The event was a special moment. “Ewan and Karen are over the moon. We took them to the awards night and it was an awesome experience to have them there with us.”

They were thrilled with the outcome. “It was a good night,” says Ewan. “We were happy to get the recognition for our house, but also for Arthur and all the team to get their recognition.”