Business South November 2021

72 | BUILDING South Canterbury: High Country Carpentry New development shoots for the stars T T Richard Loader Galaxy Boutique Hotel’s upper level consists of twelve double rooms, each with a huge skylight showcasing Tekapo’s star sparkled night sky. S et back and elevated on the western boundary of Tekapo, Galaxy Boutique Hotel takes pride of place overlooking the township and beyond to the azure waters of the lake. Beautifully crafted by High Country Car- pentry, the hotel was completed in February this year, quickly becoming one of the busiest hotels in the picturesque holiday township. The hotel’s upper level consists of twelve double guest rooms, each with a huge skylight showcasing Tekapo’s famous star sparkled night sky, while the lower level consists of three two-bedroom family units, reception area and comfortable restaurant. All rooms are modern and stylishly designed, with guest comfort central to the appeal. Heated flooring in the tiled areas and independent air conditioning feature in each room, while reception boasts a large log burn- er and under floor heating. Structurally the building is concrete and steel, but it is all clad in New Zealand made materials. Abodo timber, a product fabricated from plantation pine to produce a very stable weatherboard resembling cedar, clads the buildings frontage while dark ebony colour steel clothes the side and back of the building. High Country Carpentry’s owner Lain Hell- mrich says a very close relationship was es- tablished with the client at a very early stage, contributing to the success of the project. “I introduced myself to the clients when I saw they had purchased the land, and then worked with them and the architect for three to four years before construction was even started. I was keen to help and one year turned into four years pretty quickly.” Lain says the value in working with the client and the architect was the opportunity to guide them in what works structurally to achieve a very cost effective result. “Apart from the passion of building, accountably and professionalism, I think we were able to bring the local feel of Tekapo to the client as we built this big structure. “The client had never built anything like this before, and so a lot of it was helping to guide them through the project as much as actually delivering the finished hotel to them.” Lain, a trade qualified craftsman carpenter who has worked both in the United States and New Zealand, founded High Country Carpen- try with his wife Heather in 2006. “For a year or two it was just me, my truck and a Labrador named Echo, doing decks, bathrooms and extensions. “That turned into renovations and another staff member, before being offered some quite good sized home builds, which have always been a little bit unique. “I’ve built homes with rammed earth floors, log homes, straw bale homes, homes with rammed earth walls — definitely not your standard homes.” Homes crafted by High Country Carpentry tend to be very bespoke, where the owner is looking for something a bit different and invests much of their personality and passion into the project. “The home is unique to them and they enjoy being in the house and seeing the details. The coolest thing about the whole industry is the people. “The clients you meet along the way are by far my favourite part, and you generally end up with life long friends during the build because you spend so much time with them. Building a house is really pretty easy; it’s good fun. I love it and it comes easy to me. But the unique thing for each project is the client and their story, and I love dealing with the people. My staff really enjoys getting to know the clients as well.” Based in Fairlie and operating throughout the McKenzie region, High Country Carpentry has grown to a team of sixteen with no short- age of clients seeking them out to bring their dream home, or hotel, to life. Heated flooring in the tiled areas and independent air conditioning feature in each room, while reception boasts a large log burner and under floor heating.