72 | DEVELOPMENT Growcott Freer Property T T Kim Newth Liveable homes designed to last Peace and quiet is vital for each of the three duplexes in Gracefield Ave. Growcott Freer Property Ltd believes that prioritising craftsmanship along with design gives their urban developments in Christchurch’s central city the liveability that sets them apart. Before longtime friends Nicholas Growcott (builder) and Isaac Freer (electrician) went into business together they had worked alongside each other on enough building-sites to know they shared the same high professional standards along with their vision: to build affordable, modern, upmarket and stylish housing. Close to a decade after it was launched, Growcott Freer Property has successfully developed numerous residential houses and townhouses across Christchurch, with more at various stages of construction. The recently completed, six large architecturally designed townhouses on tree-lined Gracefield Avenue “which feels like you could easily be in the heart of Merivale”, reflect their essential ethos, explains general manager Vaughan Ellis. “How do you take the living experience of a larger, high-end architectural house and scale it to suit the footprint of land availability in the central city, so that once you own it and live in it you have all the practical sophistication of a townhouse while retaining the sense of light and space you have with a stand-alone home.” Achieving that is fundamental to what Growcott Freer Property does, working closely with architects Figure and Ground, as well as Modi Interior Design. Every millimetre has to deliver when designing and building liveable, long-lasting townhouses to withstand the test of time. While all their developments offer visual appeal from the street, their careful selection of exterior claddings, rooflines and window sizes means they all look and feel different. Peace and quiet is vital for each of the three duplexes in Gracefield Ave, and each of the pre-cast concrete inter-tenancy walls features the best insulation and highest STC (Sound Transmission Control) they can achieve. With wood grain featuring on one side and an interior brick wall on the other, Modi’s interior design works throughout to give each townhouse a completely different feel. They all have large double garages and two offstreet car parks, making them what Vaughan describes as “the perfect downsized home for clients coming off the hill or from the suburbs with all the benefits of inner-city living, or out-of- towners wanting a very nice slice of Christchurch to call home”. The 25 townhouses on the corner of Manchester and Kilmore streets, where once stood 185 white chairs, (a memorial to the Christchurch earthquake victims) are a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom homes with a completely different sense of size and scale designed to make the most of the site. Constructed and clad in a mix of concrete and Western Red Cedar to achieve a modern aesthetic, the shape of the buildings and their roofline, along with the restored bell tower, will combine to reflect and respect the historic St Luke’s Church, which formerly stood on the site. The fact that the development is well over half sold, although it is only half-finished, is testament to Growcott Freer Property’s ability to give the market what it wants in terms of affordable quality of living. A few blocks away, at 888 Colombo Street, a completely different development is poised to start construction. Here, 72 one- to three-bedroom houses will be built using only a third of the one-hectare site for the building footprint, which features two protected Western Red Cedar trees, dating back to 1870, and around which two garden squares will be laid out. North facing, with plenty of sunshine, ranging in size from 51sqm to 158sqm, they are attracting discerning investors, people looking for a metropolitan holiday home, as well as families looking for modern, central-city living. Every member of the company’s management team has extensive experience in the building trade, and amidst the variety and the desire to be ‘anything but ordinary’ that underpins Growcott Freer Properties’ developments, there remains their determination to build to last. This is coupled with their understanding that it is not just about the yield, it is about buildings they will feel proud to visit or drive by in three years or 30, knowing they have stood the test of time and look great, just as they intended. For information, ideas or advice about our exceptional windows and doors, talk to us. GAAluminium 0800 FAIRVIEW 63 Kennaway Rd, Woolston www.0800fairview.co.nz RESIDENTIAL FOUNDATIONS | COMMERCIAL FOUNDATIONS Andy Knight - 027 702 1055 | sales@boxitfoundations.co.nz
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