Business North March 2021

84 | New lease of life for historic home T Kelly Deeks Huntly House has been relocated to the edge of the Manukau Harbour, and lovingly restored from top to bottom. Heineke Builders BUILDING O ne of Palmerston North’s most loved historic villas, Huntly House, now has a new home having been cut into six pieces, moved more than 500km to a rural coastal site on the edge of the Manukau Harbour, and lovingly restored from top to bottom. The owners chose to fully renovate the entire home in one go, instead of in many stages spread over decades, and the Heineke Builders team of craftsmen, skilled subtrades, and the architect have brought the villa up to modern standards. Heineke Builders business manager Cathe- rine Heineke says the sheer size and complex- ity of the project was both a highlight and a challenge. “Villa renovations and relocatable buildings both have their regular complexities and chal- lenges, and Huntly House had both,” she says. “The home hadn’t been lived in for a long time and it was very run down. “Add then the three floors and its sheer size of 586sqm, and it makes for a very challenging but rewarding job!” When Heineke Builders owner Chris Heineke first saw the home with his client, he believed strongly in its potential and he thought others would feel the same. “Besides our own building team, there were numerous trades involved in this project,” he says. “On many aspects of the build, just to get the right trades proved more difficult than we thought. We sometimes had to go through numbers of trade professionals to find those who got more excited by the project than scared off by its challenges, and then we had to be assured they were up to the tasks and their costs were going to pass with the client.” Managing the project took continual focus by Heineke Builders, pulling all levels of detail and parties together to ensure communica- tion with those involved happened in a timely manner to avoid issues. “The architect, sub-trades, clients, and our team all shared a common goal to produce top quality work and resurrect the special character of the home,” Catherine says. “We are still grateful for the tradespeople and professionals who got stuck in and stuck by Heineke Builders and the client to make Huntly House strikingly beautiful again, to achieve modern living and compliance stand- ards.” The clients were living off shore during the renovation, so nearly everything was handled via the internet or phone. Catherine and Chris say they felt a massive amount of trust and re- sponsibility to do things right for their clients, and they wanted them to love it when they eventually came home. Project management software helped to keep them informed and see regular up- dates on the build, and they were involved in numbers of ways, including short visits to New Zealand and sometimes choosing items for their home and sending them over to New Zealand. “Our clients still love what we all collectively achieved, and that is a massive highlight.” Heineke Builders is now building its own office building in Tuakau and is moving on to three beautiful new home projects. In the pipeline is a very unique architectur- ally designed home on a challenging site, and another villa renovation. Chris and Catherine are also happy to re- ceive regular calls from previous clients asking for help with their new building needs. “Villa renovations and relocatable buildings both have their regular complexities and challenges, and Huntly House had both. The home hadn’t been lived in for a long time and it was very run down.” DESIGN • DEVELOPMENT • RESOURCE MANAGEMENT • DOCUMENT ADMINISTRATION • CONSTRUCTION REVIEW Level 1, Suite 2, 182-188 Great South Road, Papakura, Auckland 2110 T +64 9 294 6152 | W www.neate.co.nz | E admin@neate.co.nz Ph 09 238 7107 John 0274 836 915 Daniel 021 478 396 courtney@jwplumbing.co.nz 70a John Street, Pukekohe P.O. Box 522, Pukekohe counties oorsanding@hotmail.com @counties oorsanding