The centre of attention
A chance to build within a reimagined central Ōtautahi led this couple to create a dream home with M O Brown Builders and Krush Architecture.
WORDS Kathy Catton PHOTOGRAPHY Connor Hobbs
PTL Structural & Fire collaborated closely with the architect and builder on this project to ensure the highest quality outcome with practical buildability. By utilising its expertise and maintaining open communication throughout the process, PTL delivered a design that meets high standards of excellence and functionality.
Following the Christchurch earthquakes, like many, the owners of this newly constructed home mourned the loss of the city they had grown up in. Slowly, with time, the family began to see the possibilities as the new city began to rise. With this was the opportunity for a change in lifestyle.
“We started to imagine a life for our family within the city centre instead of out in the suburbs, and we began looking for sections to buy,” says the homeowner. “We saw this one and it ticked all our boxes: size, location, orientation. So we jumped at the chance and began planning what to build to make the most of our new site.”
The design brief centred around two themes. Firstly, it needed to be in keeping with the Superhome movement. “It needed to be a smart, sustainable, durable home that was efficient to run and would
be a warm, dry and healthy place to live,” says the homeowner. Second, a contemporary style. “We used the container mall on Cashel Street as one of our influences. It needed to be modern and reflective of the changing architecture of the Christchurch rebuild.”
The final design features three stacked “boxes” creating a three-storey home. The living, dining and kitchen spaces are on the middle floor, with bedrooms on the upper and lower floors. All levels are connected by an impressive 8m lift and an even more impressive open staircase with a huge skylight above.
The specification was to create a home equivalent to a Homestar 7-8 level of rating, including double insulation, 140mm framing, Intello wrap, in-slab hydronic heating, mechanical ventilation, solar PV and EV charging. The exterior finishes are low maintenance with Corten steel, Colorsteel and cedar cladding. In addition, the home has a high level of future proofing, with wide hallways, the lift, a fully self-contained bathroom on the ground floor and no steps through to the front door or to the back garden.
What’s also so unique about this home is the sense of being a beautiful family home right in the city centre. There’s a sizeable garage, two parking bays and a backyard on the roomy 488sqm section. “It’s got the feel of being in a residential neighbourhood – yet we’ve got Hagley Park just 500 metres away, and we’re three minutes’ walk from the Town Hall.”
This custom made kitchen and joinery solution by Ryan’s Kitchens and Joinery elevates the home to the highest of standards and gives that undeniable wow factor. The large timber casing wraps around the Caesarstone Nougat benchtop, becoming the focal point of the room and anchoring the open dining space.
The Altherm Window Systems were an integral part of this home – ensuring warm and eco- friendly results. As manufacturer and distributor, Altherm has a wide range of formats, with heights and widths being fully customisable and options available to incorporate passive ventilation.
The interiors speak to a luxurious homely retreat, with a high level of detail to the finishings, including tiled floors, engineered oak flooring, wallpapers, drapes and blinds.
Mike says the nature of the land, classified as Technical Category 3, meant 80 stone column piles needed to be placed over the building platform before even beginning with the foundations. “Each stone column was five metres deep,” says Mike. “We created an incredibly stable foundation for this home that way.”
The narrow site led to some careful planning by Mike and his team, and navigating commuter traffic was a part of the logistics. “We were also building through Covid-19 and the lockdowns, so we had to deal with delays, cost increases and difficulty in sourcing some materials,” says Mike. However, the team overcame these challenges: “We stayed in close communication with our suppliers and increased our ordering timeframes to stay ahead of the game.”
For the owners, every day is a joy in this home. “We love the whole change of lifestyle, and we love the living floor being on the first level.” The family spend much of their time there and enjoy that feeling of being in a luxury hotel with large walk-in closets and expansive light and views from every room.
The praise for the builder is heartfelt, with the homeowner describing Mike and the team as “fastidious in creating our dream home”. The highlights from the homeowners’ perspective include the attention to detail and the problem-solving that occurred through the build process. “Despite the typically numerous challenges that arose with such a complex build, they kept up an exceptional quality of finishes and worked with us when small changes were needed, such as adding a skylight in the main ensuite bathroom.”
M O Brown Builders recently picked up Regional Gold and Regional Category Winner awards for this home at the 2024 Registered Master Builders House of the Year awards, in the regional Builders Academy New Home $1.5 million – $2 million category.
The homeowners are equally complimentary of Kelly Rush at Krush Architecture. “From our first draft we felt he understood what we wanted to achieve, and we loved his concept drawings.”
The couple is also delighted with the Superhome aspects of the house and that the builder and designer ensured the accessibility features were included.
A success all round, says one of the homeowners: “I like to think of my home as a sanctuary, and that’s exactly what we’ve achieved.”
Two words sum up the exterior of this home: beautiful and practical. The cladding was created by The Architectural Roofing Company from both prepainted steel and Corten. With the team’s exceptional technical knowledge, there’s no roof design or cladding option that can’t be achieved.
Involved in this project
BUILDER
M O Brown Builders Ltd
027 439 2527
mobrown.co.nz
TIMBER FLOORING, TILE SUPPLY, INTERIORS
Nextdore
03 366 9400
nextdore.co.nz
CLADDING
The Architectural Roofing Company
03 335 0462
tarc.co.nz
PLUMBING SUPPLIES
Oakleys Plumbing Supplies
03 379 4750
oakleysplumbing.co.nz
ELECTRICAL
Melray Electric
03 365 7077
melray.co.nz
WINDOWS
Altherm Canterbury
03 379 7660
altherm.co.nz
STRUCTURAL ENGINEER
PTL Structural & Fire
03 925 9173
ptlnz.com
KITCHENS & JOINERY
Ryan’s Kitchens and Joinery
03 348 7921
ryanskitchens.co.nz
DRAINLAYERS
Raika Drainage
021 221 0032
