86 | Turning heads on the streets Sentinel Homes Auckland North & West has managed to include impressive specifications and remarkable attention to detail. Sentinel Homes - Auckland North & West T T Kelly Deeks BUILDING Multi-unit housing by Sentinel Homes Auckland North & West is turning heads on the streets and in the industry, with two smartly designed projects bringing home two House of the Year awards as they pack a huge punch on a small footprint. Sentinel Homes Auckland North & West director Maree van de Water says the multi-unit category was a different ring for her company to throw its hat into for 2023. She says she could see the market moving towards multi-unit housing just as Covid was looming, and with her background in new property real estate she knew it was time for her business to start offering a full wraparound design and build service for multi-unit developers. Winning a regional award for Volume/Group Housing New Home up to $500,000, this stand-alone 72sqm home is one of seven units at Te Atatu. Sentinel Homes Auckland North & West has managed to include impressive specifications and remarkable attention to detail for less than $500,000. Intricate work was required for ground preparation, including polyrock beneath the entire fill area of this two-storey home, and extra care during the foundation construction process. A combination of cladding materials complements the interior design and accentuates the contemporary slanted facade. Part of the lower level has an upgraded 1.5m-high brick cladding, while vertical Stria is painted in two colours. Inside, living is spacious and comfortable with open plan kitchen, living, and dining with a high stud on the lower level, and two generous bedrooms and a family-sized bathroom upstairs. “It’s nigh on impossible to build anything in Auckland for up to $500,000, so we were incredibly thrilled about our result in this category,” Maree says. “The developer has chosen to retain all of these units and rent them out, and he’s a happy landlord.” Sentinel Homes Auckland North & West won a second regional award in the Multi Unit category for the first-class design and build of “We wrapped that service around our team and tried to give them the tools they needed to navigate this new landscape.” one of nine terraced homes at Browns Bay. Low-maintenance cedar-look BCG fibre-cement cladding gives way to a sun-flooded, white and timber open-plan kitchen, dining, and living area, with sliding doors leading to a sheltered rear patio. A powder room completes this floor. Upstairs are three bedrooms, one en suite, and another bathroom. These units were built during the height of Covid-related supply chain disruption, so materials and labour were both hard to source. Builders on site were under intense pressure, and Maree had to find a way of keeping the momentum going as well as focusing on mental health management more than ever before. She brought in counselling for every team member and saw it taken up by a significant amount of people. “We wrapped that service around our team and tried to give them the tools they needed to navigate this new landscape.” All of this effort saw the team deliver a high quality development including a number of future-proofing features such as keyless entry, smart home technology, and electric vehicle charging in each car park. Each of these units has been built to Homestar 6 standards, so they’re warmer, drier, and healthier than similar homes built to code, and they use less power and water. “People are coming to us for improved functionality and efficiency, future proofing, automation, enhanced aesthetics, sustainable features, and the integration of smart home technology. “All of these can be seen at our brand new show home at Ara Hills, Orewa.” • flatpack wardrobes • walk-in wardrobes • reach-in wardrobes • free standing wardrobes • garage storage • linen cupboards sales@wardrobe-warehouse.co.nz 0800 800 833 SCAFFOLDING STRUCTURES LTD • ALL FOUNDATIONS & SLABS • EXCAVATIONS • BLOCK LAYING • CONCRETE PUMPING John Matthews - 021 486 604 | 0800 141 303 e: john.m1@xtra.co.nz www.foundationstructures.co.nz LICENSED BUILDING PRACTITIONERS Building confidence
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