102 | A collaborative effort The home features a prominent brick spine wall that extends through the building. Mark Cowan Building T T Alexia Anderson Well Built Homes The stamp of satisfaction T T Hugh de Lacy BUILDING Mark Cowan Building is bringing another high-end residential property to life in Kelvin Heights. Located in Peninsula Hill, the home is in a subdivision known for its panoramic lake and mountain views, and is close to Queenstown’s amenities, recreational trails, and golf courses. Immersion Architecture is the award-winning company behind the design, which Mark Cowan says has been among the keys to the project’s success. He says every detail has been carefully considered. “The result is a home that delivers yearround comfort, architectural presence, and generous space for entertaining, all while responding sensitively to its setting.” Since the project’s early stages, the aim was to create a refined, relaxed home suitable for everyday use. To support that concept, a team of specialists were brought in, including HM Creative for interiors and OBD Landscape Architects for the outdoor spaces. “The collaboration between disciplines has ensured a cohesive, beautifully resolved home inside and out,” Mark says. The working relationship with Immersion Architecture has been a highlight, he adds. “It was structured, transparent, and genuinely enjoyable. Immersion coordinated all consultants seamlessly, keeping the project There’s nothing like the long silence from the client after they have moved into their new home to prove the quality of the build and their satisfaction with it, says Ben Collis of the Christchurch company, Well Built Homes Ltd. “We have a great relationship with our clients while we’re building their houses for them, but if we don’t hear from them afterwards we know there are no quality issues and that they’re happy in their new homes,” Ben says. “The silence is a sort of stamp of satisfaction, but happy clients talk behind our back, and there’s nothing better for a business than word-of-mouth recommendations.” Well Built Homes grew out of a partnership between project manager Ben and carpenter Will Giles, who got together in 2015 to form a construction business based on supplying carpentry labour to large main contractors during the rebuild after the 2010-2011 Canterbury earthquakes. “We had started as spec builders, with Will managing the day-to-day operations and me as project manager running the office, and as a sideline got into offering spec-built homes on a 10% deposit with the rest paid on completion,” explains Ben. “The sideline became our main line of work, and in 2018 we formed Well Built Homes, offering initially entry-level homes that come complete with landscaping, letterboxes and clothes-lines and even with furniture packages available on request,” he says. As the number of homes the company completed edged towards the 50 mark, Ben and Will found their market moving up into the middle-price bracket. “The homes we were delivering were entrylevel rental developments – not cookie-cutter houses, but high-quality standard homes built to last – but we found more demand when we upgraded our designs with a higher level of fit-out, and pitched at a better-heeled corner of the market. “These homes are now our mainstay, though we still do a lot of entry-level work,” Ben says. Most of Well Built Homes’ completions have been in the Halswell and Rolleston areas south of Christchurch, and Ben has lately noticed an up-tick in demand, to the degree that houses are readily selling before completion. “The fact that we’re also selling off the plans suggests a strengthening Christchurch market that’s come through the recent downturn pretty comfortably anyway.” The company is a member of the Master Builders Federation, which Ben says reflects its commitment to quality. As well as house-and-land deals, Well Built Homes offers turnkey packages for investors, and house-only deals backed by a 12-week completion time. on track and making the experience smooth and stress-free. From the beginning, we were told the process should be fun – and it truly has been.” Material selection has been a key focus, with the home featuring a prominent brick spine wall that extends through the building. Mark says the wall serves both aesthetic and functional purposes. “It provides a striking visual anchor, while also offering valuable thermal mass to help regulate internal temperatures throughout the year.” Tray cladding and cedar detailing complete the exterior, chosen for their durability, longevity, and low-maintenance benefits. Cedar has been placed at heights that allow for easy future maintenance without scaffolding. The home also incorporates several design concepts to support thermal performance. They include generous roof overhangs to reduce summer heat gain, and a large covered courtyard designed to enable outdoor living throughout the year. The layout also complements the site’s sun orientation, views, and surrounding community, providing privacy from the street while opening to the landscape. He says the project reflects Mark Cowan Building’s focus on craftsmanship and its close working relationships with skilled local subcontractors. @IMMERSION_ARCHITECTURE TAHUNA / QUEENSTOWN OTEPOTI / DUNEDIN IMMERSION.NZ do it once, do it right plastered to perfection 022 177 6416 admin@perfectionplasterers.co.nz www.perfectionplasterers.co.nz • Licensed applicator • All aspects of exterior plastering • New and existing homes • Repairs and repaints
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