The pressure was on for Williams Elvidge to build this exquisite home in Merivale. The result exceeded everyone’s expectations.

WORDS Kathy Catton PHOTOGRAPHY Sarah Rowlands

The task was clear: get this home built before our wedding! Homeowners Dani and Adam Heazlewood knew it was going to be a tight deadline. Still, they had faith and trust that the team at Williams Elvidge would rise to the challenge.

“This was the second time we had worked with Williams Elvidge to build a home, so we knew they could handle it,” says Adam.

No stranger to tight deadlines and high standards, Adam and Dani Heazlewood both have a national reputation of being real estate agents of outstanding calibre. Adam was the youngest person ever to reach the Top Achievers threshold for Bayleys New Zealand in 2015, and together the couple has sold over half of a billion dollars in real estate.

MULTI-AWARD-WINNING Trusted for over 30 years, Advanced Joinery manufactured and installed the kitchen, bathrooms and wardrobes.

“We knew we wanted to buy on this quiet street, so when the section came to our attention, we knew we had to act,” says Adam. “We were keen to maximise the available area of the section and build a beautiful place we could call home.”

“It was not an easy site to build on,” admits Dani. “With a creek running along the edge of the property, there were various Council requirements we had to work within.”

So the challenge was on for the architectural designer to curate this residential dwelling among an inner-city neighbourhood of densification. Luckily, Sam Connell, Director of Figure and Ground, loves a challenge. The striking result is minimalist from the street appearance and opens to a beautifully functional, open plan family home.

“This was a small section to work with,” says Sam. “We designed a simple gable form home with strong horizontal and vertical planes to make this architecturally interesting.”

Noteworthy is the attention to detail in the timberwork on the front and rear façades created through different lines and textures with the light-coloured cedar. This detailing is continued internally with built-in joinery in the living areas and timber flooring throughout. All of this is accentuated through carefully positioned lighting.

The main gable is the heart of this home, with the kitchen and dining on the ground level extending onto the outdoor entertaining areas. Floor to ceiling glazing opens onto these outdoor areas with easy care landscaping creating connection and a feeling of space despite being on a small section. A secondary gable follows the stream setback accommodating additional living spaces overlooking luscious native plantings.

FULL ELECTRICAL FINESSE Le Comte Electrical is a full service electrical company that specialises in bespoke architecturally designed homes.

“Working with Sam was brilliant and very straightforward. The only thing we changed from the initial drawings was the location of the master bedroom,” says Adam. “We love it all, and we particularly like the nifty use of spaces, given the difficult section requirements.”

Sam recognises the challenges in the building industry currently, saying, “It’s a fine balancing act with costs on the rise. So for us it’s all about ensuring we get the best value for the site and the quality is always there for our clients.”

Although a new brand, Figure and Ground has been in the architectural space for some time, with owners and directors Sam and Simon both coming from award-winning practices.

“We consider ourselves different to most architectural practices, whereby we act as commercial and creative thinkers, who like to keep things simple,” says Sam. “Our clients have come to expect professionalism, but in a language they understand.”

The magic of this build has undoubtedly been brought to life by the craftsmanship of builders Dave Elvidge and Jack Williams, Directors of Williams Elvidge.

It was a joy-filled journey for the whole team working on this project. What makes Williams Elvidge unique is that the company offers not only building work but also landscaping construction.

“We do everything from the start of the construction to the planting of plants,” says David Elvidge. “We’ve become experts at building with a high attention to detail, all the while with our eye on timeframes and budgets. Dani and Adam wanted us to take care of all aspects of the build, and so we offered the full project management to keep things running smoothly.”

PERSONALISED LANDSCAPE DESIGN Xteriorscapes landscape designers created this garden unique to the homeowners' needs and to take full advantage of the property.

The attention to detail on this property is outstanding. For example, the level of detailing required to line up the GIB in the gabled ceiling of the media lounge is second to none, and the finishing on the exteriors and interiors provides a luxury feel throughout the whole property.

Le Comte Electrical also worked with the homeowners to create a bespoke lighting design to bring the homeowners’ lighting and electrical dreams to life. The LED strips in the media lounge were a stand-out for the couple, as well as the outdoor lighting to add that warm, cosy feel.

“This was a technical build, for sure, but nothing was outside our capabilities,” says David. “Despite Covid-related delays, we completed this build with two weeks to spare before the couple’s wedding!”

QUALITY FINISH The home has been painted to perfection by Beachvale Coating to give an exquisite feel and finish.

The homeowners were delighted, saying, “Dan Mark and Tom Dryden, the foremen, and Jack and Dave are genuinely good people. They worked hard to ensure all the trades kept to their timelines. Yes, there were subtrades on-site at 2.30am one morning in order to get the job done, but this just shows how the Williams Elvidge team goes above and beyond to meet their clients’ expectations.”

Dave is equally complimentary of the homeowners, saying it was a whole team effort. With easy, reliable and clear communication between the homeowners, designers and builders, everything went smoothly, and any problems along the way were dealt with efficiently.

Being real estate agents, Dani and Adam are used to seeing high-end homes daily. So they wanted their own home to provide them with a look that they don’t typically see but also has the aesthetic resilience for resale in the future.

Georgia from Modi Design achieved this and more, by using a relatively neutral palette and highlighting textures and creating subtle but complex pairings.

“We were lucky enough to have a ‘trust the chef’ approach from Dani and Adam,” says Georgia. “We designed all joinery throughout the home in CAD and selected all flooring, colours, hardware, finishes and fittings, lightings, window treatments and furniture.”

The result is a streamlined interior with a contemporary and luxurious feel.

PERFECT TILES Brymac Tiles provided the exquisite choice of tiles throughout the property.

“We are delighted with Modi Design’s great attention to detail,” says Adam, who admits he can be a bit of a perfectionist. “The sophisticated way the Dekton stone flows through into the cabinetry is amazing, and all the finishes give the home that refined and timeless feel we wanted. It’s often that last 10 per cent that makes the biggest difference.”

“We are also big fans of joinery, so we love the thought that has gone into this aspect of the home to give us oodles of storage,” says Dani.

The Dekton stone was also used for the kitchen benchtop. This UV and heat resistant product is described by Georgia as being “as bullet-proof as benchtops come at the moment”, so it was ideal from a practical point of view.

This home is a beautiful example of a well-thought-out dwelling. It provides generously sized executive inner-city living without compromising on privacy, security, quality, interior comfort or outdoor living. And with a winning construction team to make it a reality, Adam and Dani’s home has certainly met the deadline.