Flying Into Whitianga – Coromandel, New Zealand

Although after initial investigation, it seemed this weathered look would be more difficult to achieve than expected.

Committed to achieving the look they were after, the couple considered a board and batten style timber cladding.

However,they quickly realised the cladding would have to be painted grey to achieve the silver/grey look, and this didn’t quite meet the natural finish they were looking for.

So they stopped in at the Abodo showroom to look at other finishes, and discovered Sioo:x – a natural wood coating that would provide the perfect naturally weathered look.

After a tour behind the scenes to see how boards were coated in the Abodo factory, Steve and Teresa were also impressed with the underlying product – Vulcan Cladding being a manufactured (thermally modified, locally sourced) timber rather than being a timber alternative such as cement board.

After having recently completed a build in Auckland, the couple were keen to put their recent learnings to good use, and to follow up with this build while the experience was fresh in their minds.

Steve and Teresa decided on Design Builders as the build partners for this project, as they came highly recommended from the owners of a recently completed house two doors down from their Whitianga section.

Helping to make the cladding and finish choice even easier, a builder in their family had also used Abodo’s Vulcan Cladding and had found it great to work with.

Once up, Steve and Teresa’s builders were also thrilled to bits because the cladding was so stable and easy to work with.

The couple had a few other flamboyant design ideas in mind, for example a cork wall in the entrance and barn doors to frame the entry to the library.

With an in-house architect and a flexible, collaborative approach to the design process, Design Builders were able to accommodate these non-standard designs.

Being less than an hour’s flight away from site also meant the couple (and Piper, the dog) could fly down regularly to check in on progress and keep open communication with the build team on any changes or design choices as they came up.

As a result, Steve and Teresa are very happy with their new home.

Not only does it meet their unique hangar-style design brief on the exterior, it’s warm and cosy and incorporates the unique touches in the interior that makes it their own.