88 | Utsukushii Uchi showcases traditional Japanese materials and features, including sustainably-grown Japanese cedar, Yakisugi (authentically charred) cladding and interior Shoji doors. Design Builders BOP T T Hugh de Lacy BUILDING A showhome described as “the epitome of Japanese luxury” by its builder, Sam Perrin from Design Builders Bay of Plenty, is drawing crowds of visitors to Omokoroa, just north of Tauranga. Utsukushii Uchi, which translates as “beautiful home” is a 251qsm three-bedroom home at 13 Fairwayview Drive, Omokoroa. Utsukushii Uchi showcases traditional Japanese materials and features, including sustainably-grown Japanese cedar, Yakisugi (authentically charred) cladding and interior Shoji doors. Design Builders was founded in Hawke’s Bay in 1992 and in the intervening 30 years it has grown to nine regional partnerships, with Sam Perrin running the Bay of Plenty office from their new showhome in Omokoroa. The inspiration for Utsukushii Uchi came from Sam’s love of Japanese architecture and construction. “I’ve always liked Japanese architecture and, more specifically, modern Japanese architecture: it has some beautiful design elements to it; it’s uncluttered, clean and not overly complicated, but with an extensive use of natural products and attention to detail,” Sam says. “Japanese architects are able to give a sense of space and connectivity with nature to a house design, while retaining all the modern conveniences and luxury, and visitors to our show appear to recognize and appreciate that.” It will be entered in next year’s Master Builders Association House of the Year building awards where, if it’s anything like Sam’s previous showhome, it could well score a gong or two. Bay of Plenty Design Builders’ previous showhome, also in Omokoroa and just a little way down Fairwayview Drive from the new one, won a Gold Award and was the regional category winner of then 2020 House of the Year Awards. It was quite different to the current showhome, being four-bedroomed rather than three, and built to the Hampden and Coastal architectural style, but at 250m2 has almost the same footprint. Meanwhile Sam’s holding his breath to see what the market is going to do. “It’s slowed considerably over the last 18 months to two years, however there is a lot more positivity around the industry at the moment, and a general feeling that things are soon to improve. “We currently have a few jobs under construction, and with the showhome in its Showhome presents ‘Japanese luxury’ infancy stages, our timing will hopefully be right and we’ll be in a great position for when things do turn,” Sam says. There may be signs of that occurring already, at least in the residential property market where state valuer Quotable Value (QV) in September noted that prices had made their first three-monthly increase since the start of the Covid downturn in late 2021. The value of residential building consents in the Bay of Plenty has been notably steady from January through to August of this year, averaging 30 consents for 62 dwelling units worth $36 million a month, with a promising peak in July when 37 consents were issued for 99 new dwelling units worth $79m. That compares with the same January-August period last year when an average of 64 permits were issued for 85 dwellings worth $44.2m. t 07 574 4527 e info@tkb.co.nz w www.tkb.co.nz a 36b MacDonald St, Mt Maunganui 3116
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