Business North May 2021

88 | Turton Builders The 650sqm home is designed as a series of interconnecting pavilions with surprises unveiled around every corner. Collaboration key to stunning home T Kelly Deeks BUILDING Phone: 03 983 5500 waterfordpress.co.nz Your Business, Your Industry, Your News. DO OUR READERS KNOW YOU EXIST? P remium Hamilton building firm Turton Builders has created a new home with a wide palette of natural materials, bring- ing warmth and a welcoming feel, and ground- ing the home within its rural surroundings. Clients Bruce Turton, co-owner of Turton Builders, and Bronwyn Turton, co-owner of Turton + Oliver Interior Design, are a couple with a detailed knowledge of building mate- rials which they collectively brought to their project. “Thankfully we had the advantage of having Bruce involved right from the planning stage,” says Turton Builders co-director and Bruce’s son Brad Turton. “Some clients are getting a designer in at the start and then finding their builder, but it’s a good idea to find the builder first, especially on complex projects like this. “The builder brings an element of practical- ity to the design and to the detail, and their ex- perience can help a project to move smoothly along. They also play quite an important role as a third party for the designer to work for.” Tane Cox of Hamilton’s Red Architecture has designed a 650sqm series of interconnecting pavilions which serve to gradually reveal the home as they guide you in from the entrance. Surprising discoveries are unveiled around every corner, like the central outdoor room in a Japanese-style garden of maple trees and stones, and the floor-to-7.2m apex ceiling bank of gridded custom windows in the main living area, framing a stunning view of the Waikato countryside. Bronwyn says design is about the detailing that people don’t notice, they just know it looks all the better for it, from the oversized fireplace with its exposed flue, to the window seat with its exaggerated framing, to the kwila boardwalk looping around the home and gardens and framing them against the paddock-style lawn. The couple’s brief to Tane included the in- corporation of a lot of natural materials, steel, brick, and timber, with a nod to the industrial without the industrial look. With Bruce and Bronwyn’s close connec- tions and trusted collaborators within the construction industry, they managed to source small, earthy, and aged bricks from Belgiam, a unique Brazilian quartz kitchen bench top with colours and textures that connect all the interior and exterior elements, and a Europe- an band -sawn timber Oak floor. Brad says one of the biggest challenges of the construction phase was a lot of internal timber which would absorb and hold natural light. This became apparent early on so Bruce and Bronwyn engaged architectural lighting specialist Meredith Devoy of Alumina to pro- vide lighting solutions. Other collaborations on this project include landscape designer Lee Burton, Stellaria for bricks, and Huntly Joinery for extensive and consistent-looking Vantage joinery through- out. The large home has been designed in such a way with the master bedroom off the living area so that Bruce and Bronwyn can use part of it when it’s just the two of them, with the space to open up for overnight guests and entertaining. They put it through its paces last year, inviting the whole family to stay for lockdown. Needless to say, there was plenty of room for all, and on those cold lockdown nights, every- one was cosy and warm. “The builder brings an element of practicality to the design and to the detail, and their experience can help a project to move smoothly along. They also play quite an important role as a third party for the designer to work for.” www.keanestiling.nz 0274 830 938 jared@keanestiling.nz Proudly supporting Turton Builders redarchitecture.co.nz