| 71 T T Virginia Wright Modern makeovers for older homes Kate is designing homes and renovations to fit into the relaxed beach lifestyle Oakura offers, whilst using building materials that can withstand the harsh salt laden elements. Clients home before renovation Clients home after renovation ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN Kate Whittaker Design Kate Whittaker is an architectural designer based in Oakura, Taranaki having worked in the design industry for nearly 30 years. She’s a professional member of Architectural Designers New Zealand (ADNZ) and a Licensed Building Practitioner. After 10 years working in architectural design in Whanganui it was while she was living in the Wairarapa with young children that she started her own business Kate Whittaker Design. “I was a sole practitioner designing new homes and additions in the greater Wairarapa area where I was involved in a number of lifestyle blocks, designing a mix of contemporary homes and also homes to reflect the Greytown era, including a 6-bedroom bed and breakfast homestead at Woodside,” says Kate. With her move to Oakura 15 years ago, Kate is designing homes and renovations to fit into the relaxed beach lifestyle Oakura offers, whilst using building materials that can withstand the harsh salt laden elements. “The past five years have seen Oakura going through a growth phase which means new builds but also a lot of renovation work especially with people wanting to upgrade their outdoor living spaces,” says Kate. A lot of Oakura’s building stock dates from the 70’s and 80’s and many of Kate’s clients are looking to improve and modernise their homes according to their taste. She recently transformed the exterior outdoor living space of a beachfront two storey plastered home, installing cedar cladding and completely rebuilding the deck using membrane construction and floating tiles to create a sheltered, gabled, outdoor entertaining area. The alteration was designed to blend in, but also to modernise the original home, using skylights to the exterior gable to allow daylight into the homes interior, sliding louvre screens and tinted balustrade to provide shelter and privacy and allow the owners to sit outside, safe from the elements, and enjoy the sea view. Many of Kate’s new home designs in recent years have used natural stone, cedar and powder coated aluminium claddings, with the home interior incorporating high raking ceilings, she explains. “They give a sense of loftiness to the space and allow for the installation of clerestory windows to provide natural light and cross ventilation in summer. “I like to design a home to take full advantage of passive solar gain in winter and natural air flow cooling in the summer”. In her time in Oakura Kate has formed solid relationships with consultants which makes it easy for her to provide a complete design solution from Geotech reports through to interior design, but it all starts with the client/ designer relationship. Whether it’s young families with small children or older families with teenagers they’re generally all after that relaxed outdoor lifestyle and it all begins with Kate sitting down to have a chat. Kate puts her excellent communication skills to work as she finds out how they live and what they’re looking for in a home including a sense of the overall home design style they enjoy. “I want to give my clients an end result that exceeds their expectations, and everyone is quite different. The overall project budget is also a really important conversation, and it is imperative to have this conversation early on in the design stage so that everyone is on the same page,” Kate explains. Kate enjoys designing a home that will more than meet client needs, knowing that her communication through a new build has helped them enjoy the process, and likes nothing more than achieving a remarkable transformation when it comes to modernising and refurbishing someone’s home. 021 514 192 jamie@texturedplaster.co.nz We offer a free on-site consultation and can guide you with our expert advice on the right finish and system for your property. Contact us for a free, no obligation quote or to discuss your future plans. ∙ Award-winning plaster finishes ∙ Specialising in installation of Resene Construction Plaster systems - Exterior & Interior finishes. ∙ Specialized Construction Products ∙ NewBuilds, Re-clads or Renovations ∙ Landscapingwalls, fences, outdoor fire-places ∙ Plastering over existing block / brickwork ∙ LBP - Licensed Building Practitioner
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