Return to Paradise

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A New Plymouth family of six are happily ensconced in a spacious, contemporary home that accommodates their individual needs.

As featured in Homestyle Magazine

Words: Soraya Nicholas Photography: Deane Riddick

With four children aged between two and sixteen, Nicola and Chris Sharpe had plenty to consider when they were planning their new home. Everyone had to have a room of their own, and the living spaces had to be large enough for each family member to do their own thing. "We honestly take the house for granted now," says Nicola. "It is such an easy home to live in, and it works well for little children and teenagers."

Nicola and Chris had a rough idea of what they wanted their new home to look like, but the design was largely left in the hands of Signature Homes New Plymouth. "We had always wanted a mono-pitch design, with lots of glass and space, and a fireplace in the centre of the living areas, but we left it up to Signature to come up with the overall design of the home." Once a design was completed, they made little changes here and there, but overall the style was perfect.

"We had never built before, so the whole process was a real learning curve for us," explains Nicola. "Signature were great to deal with; so welcoming when we needed to discuss or change anything, and there were no hidden costs to surprise us." The Sharpe's first encountered Signature Homes on a visit to their show home, and they trusted their instincts after that first meeting. "We never went anywhere else. We liked their show home and the staff, plus the price was good, so it was a great decision."

The house is located in a former gully that has been developed, which is the primary reason the property suits the Sharpe family so well. The section backs directly onto a reserve, making the property incredibly private, and is close to local schools. An integral part of the home's design was to capitalised on the location, with substantial doors and glass panes looking out to the reserve. The large trees feel like part of the Sharpe's own personal landscape, which is a view they never tire of.

Every room in the house has ample window space, encouraging light into the interior, and connecting the entire house with its surroundings. The interior colours add to the light, contemporary style of the home. Newlook Painters & Textures, who are members of the Master Painters Association, completed all of the internal painting for the house, preferring to use Wattyl Taubmans paint. This paint was chosen for its hardwearing qualities, and the fact that it is fire resistant and environmentally friendly, with a low volatile organic compound. Wattyl paint also carries the Asthma seal of approval.

Throughout the living areas, various strengths of Dulux colour Marton was applied, in a low-sheen Wattyl Interior Design finish. The internal doors were painted in a semi-gloss to ensure handprints are easy to clean off, with waterborne enamel paint in a semi-gloss finish for the bathrooms.

The kitchen and living spaces are where the family spends the most time, which makes it one of their favourite destinations within the home. The kitchen in particular is a great family meeting point, with space for everyone to mill about, and breakfast bar stools for the children to sit at to have a snack or do homework. With such a large family, Nicola wanted a substantial kitchen, and the large centre bench and open ends make it an easy area to work in. The main living spaces each have the benefit of the centre fireplace, which is a feature Nicola in particular would not be without. "It was a feature that we were both determined to have, and it looks incredible."

The centre column was created and installed by Egmont Stone Ltd, and it looks every bit as good as Nicola had imagined it would. Clad in reconstituted Stonex Stone, the internal feature accurately replicates the look of stone, and is easily as durable as real stone, while being more cost effective, and light and simple to work with. All of the stone products installed by Egmont Stone Ltd are of the highest quality, and come with guarantees to prove it.

The stone feature would not be complete without the much-loved fire, which was supplied by 4 Seasons New Plymouth Ltd. The Warmington fire is double sided, so both living spaces have the visual benefit of the wood burning, although only one side is fitted with a door. Designed and manufactured in New Zealand, Warmington fires are reliable and proven, and installed in homes all around the country. Unlike traditional open wood fires, where much of the heat is lost up the chimney, this design allows the heat to be carried up the heat chamber, and then be sent back out into the room, toprovide a substantial amount of dry heat into the house.

Despite never having built before, Nicola and Chris loved the whole process. "Honestly, I would do it all over again tomorrow if I could," says Nicola. But it is unlikely they will be moving any time soon, having achieved all their goals in this first build, and it would be hard for them to find a more perfect setting, or a more suitable home.

Our Place
with Nicola & Chris Sharpe

Favourite room?
Nicola: Our bathroom. I wanted it to look like the Sheraton, with luxury tiles and fittings, and I just love it. Another favourite for me is the fireplace.
Chris: The lounge, because it's where we spend the most time.

Best buy?
The hot/cold water tap in the kitchen, made by Insinkerator. There's no need for a jug because the boiling water is instant.

What do friends and family like most?
The setting. It's so private here and the trees are such a feature, especially when we have all the doors open.

Advice to others preparing to build?
Start a spreadsheet! To keep track of exactly how much you are spending. One of the best things about dealing with Signature Homes was that they gave us a form to sign for every change we made, so we could see exactly how much it would cost to make the change/include something different. We could either sign to accept it and add it to the spreadsheet, or decline if it was going to be too expensive, so there were no hidden building costs at all.