Perfectly Placed

A low-maintenance empty-nester home with a contemporary country lodge vibe that fits its rural location.

With their kids all grown up, Greta and Andrew decided it was time for a change of scene and an updated house. The pair wanted to build a low maintenance, energy-efficient home that would ensure they had plenty of quality time and space to enjoy family visits, country living and their menagerie of pets.

Familiar with the landscape between Cambridge and Auckland, Greta and Andrew found a spectacular rural site near the village of Te Kauwhata. “Greta loved the site and the township straight away, so the decision to buy was simple. It’s allowed us to have a native bush outlook on the living side of the house, and an indoor-outdoor area facing out across the farmland and hills,” says Andrew.

Having two new builds already under their belt, the couple chose to avoid complication by selecting a plan based on a Nixon Homes show home. This strategy allowed them to tweak the design and features to suit their lifestyle, but still have the comfort of a fixed price build. The result is a four-bedroom masterpiece centred around two living spaces that open to the outdoors.

To achieve the contemporary lodge look they were after, as well as low-to-no maintenance going forward, the couple chose Oblique™ Weatherboard by James Hardie as the primary cladding for their home. Finished in Resene All Black, the weatherboards are laid vertically and alternate between 200mm and 300mm panels for a stunning visual effect. Accent areas of cedar weatherboards give the home extra character. Thanks to an automated louvre system, the couple can admire their sleek weatherboard finishing year-round, regardless of weather.

“We had seen the weatherboard used in a variety of different houses around Cambridge and in magazines,” says Andrew. “We loved the clean lines and contemporary look that allowed us to complement the cedar shiplap panels we had previously decided we wanted as part of the overall look of the house.” The road appeal is the couple’s favourite part of the house.

They love the subtle-but-sophisticated finish of natural timber coupled with the clean lines of black-painted vertical weatherboards. “The house is exactly how we imagined it, with the mix of cedar and Oblique™ Weatherboard and the shaped driveway from the gates. We compromised on the total house size to make sure we could have the additional exterior finishes and features that we get to enjoy daily.”

The couple now spend their evenings sitting on the deck with a bottle of wine, watching the sun hit the top of the trees around the surrounding hills. There are no plans to leave and plenty of landscaping projects ahead to keep idle hands busy.