| 113 BUILDING Fiordland Homes T T Bernadette Cooney Reputation really is everything Roger and Brad Foote are Te Anau locals running a five-crew team of builders with a reputation for consistent excellence. Te Anau building company, Fiordland Homes, is a father and son led business with 20+ years’ experience in building high-spec, high quality homes across a region bursting with million-dollar views. The resort town at the edge of Lake Te Anau, is the gateway to the glacial grandeur of Milford Sound and is as popular with retirees as much as it is with holiday makers. Roger and Brad Foote are Te Anau locals running a five-crew team of builders with a reputation for consistent excellence in new architectural builds and large-scale renovations. “In a small town your reputation is everything and you let your work speak for itself,” says Fiordland Homes project manager Brad Foote. That work has included some unique and tricky builds for the company in the past year says Brad. A steel beam and concrete panel suspension build on a sloping hillside section was one such project. “This is a $2million two storey house butted against a hillside on Burnby Drive with big glass frontage providing views over the town and the lake and with Mount Luxmore in the distance.” Designed by Invercargill architectural designers, Fat Hippo Design Group, the modern box-style home totals 350 sq mts with the upper level taking 230 sq mts and the lower level 120. “This would be one of our biggest jobs last year and it required a lot of structural engineering,” says Brad. The steel beam and concrete foundation supports suspended concrete floors on each level and the concrete panel back of the house acts as a type of retaining wall. The exterior is clad in Integra panel plaster and schist stonework. The interior features underfloor heating with two bedrooms and two bathrooms upstairs and one of each downstairs. “Not that there are any internal stairs as the owners opted for an internal mechanical lift instead,” says Brad. Aside from the extensive earthworks and engineering required, the sheer volume of glazing needed was also tricky to navigate at times. This meant the glaziers had to work onsite at the same time as other trades like the block layers so it could get pretty crammed at critical times. Overcoming the challenges has resulted in a head turning home says Brad and a couple of similar build projects in the pipeline for 2024. A major renovation of a 1990s style brick and weatherboard four-bedroom home was another significant transformation last year. Located five kilometres outside of Te Anau township off the Te Anau-Milford Highway Is scenic flight company Fiordland Helicopters. A company first founded in the 1980’s by pioneering deer recovery chopper pilot Kim Hollows. “The current owner wanted a renovation of his 250 sq mt home which would open the place right up to the light and the stunning views,” says Brad. “We took it from a four-bedroom home to three double bedrooms, one with ensuite and replaced windows with ranch sliders. We took the whole place from medium spec to high spec essentially,” says Brad. “It has awesome views, and it was pretty cool to work with choppers coming down behind us,” he says. Challenges on the job largely revolved around co-ordinating stages and trades with sub-contractors stretched with work and short on staff. “This made keeping the job moving forward difficult at times,” says Brad. Thankfully, for Fiordland Homes, difficult doesn’t exclude achieving the extraordinary. Qualified & registered Electricians Heat Pump installation & servicing Solar Solutions Residential & Commercial electrical solutions 021 655 556 customelectricltd@gmail.com Proudly Supporting Fiordland Homes Spray Painting | Gib Stopping | Wallpapering Water Blasting | Interior / Exterior Karl Ledington 021 176 2667 | karlandjess4@gmail.com Quality Craftsmanship Bathroom Vanities, Laundries Kitchen Joinery Stairwells Pre-hung Doors Wardrobes & cabinetry 03 249 4339 or 022 6046305 | 10 Caswell Road, Te Anau fiordlandjoinery@gmail.com | www.fiordlandjoinery.co.nz WI NDOW ASSOCI ATI ON OF NEW ZEALAND www.wanz.co.nz 22 Snodgrass Rd, Te Anau Email: ordalujoin@gmail.com
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