Inner-city haven

A move to the centre of town has proved just the ticket for the delighted owners of this elegant home in Christchurch’s CBD, built by M O Brown Builders Limited.

WORDS Anna Scaife PHOTOGRAPHY Jamie Armstrong

WINDOW COVERINGS Curtains and blinds throught the home were thoughfully chosen from the wide selection at McKenzie & Willis.

DINING TABLE THE timber herringbone design built-in dining table was handcrafted by Southern Creations.

When it came to finding the site for their new home, the owners of this fabulous new build went about it the old-fashioned way. Jackie and Tony lost a home to the earthquakes in Sumner and spent some time in West Melton before deciding that life at the city’s heart was a good fit for them. To find the right spot, Jackie took to the streets and did her homework, tracing the owners of empty lots and making contact to see if they wanted to sell. Eventually, she struck a deal and from then on, the couple’s new home became her labour of love.

EXTERIOR The Architectural Roofing Company supplied and installed the Snap Lock roofing and cladding in Magnaflow Black Low Gloss.

The section is long and narrow, at 10 metres wide and 50 metres long the challenge was to design a home that worked in the space. Jackie and Tony called on friend and architect, Chris Prebble from Three Sixty Architecture. “Chris had built his own home in the city, and he was our natural choice to design our house. We love his style,” says Jackie.

A striking building from the road frontage, the geometric shapes translate into unique spaces inside.

Jackie sourced quotes from several building companies. While researching, she stumbled across M O Brown Builders’ website and made contact with directors Mike and Lisa Brown. “I liked the look of some of the homes they’d built, and when I got in contact, I found Mike and Lisa were lovely people. I knew we would be able to work together,” says Jackie.

INTERIOR The feature staircase was created by Christchurch Wrought Iron & Metalwork and includes a powder-coated black steel handrail and single spine stair springer.

Approaching the design with architect Chris, Jackie and Tony brainstormed all the things they would want in the perfect home. From there, they created an ideas board and budget to hand over to Three Sixty Architecture. Of everything they asked for, the three-car garaging and an easy indoor-outdoor flow were the non-negotiables for the couple. The completed design is a two-storey home with a total floor area of 330 square metres encompassing three bedrooms, two living rooms, ensuite plus family bathroom, a large study, and 48 square metres of balconies on the first floor.

“The initial challenge of this site is that the northern aspect is facing the street, so maximising sun was the main challenge. To overcome this, we have programmed the spaces so that the main living is upstairs and has a north-facing balcony. The balcony allows for separation or engagement with the street through the use of sliding screens and shutters,” says Nick Wortelboer of Three Sixty Architecture.

OUTDOOR LIVING The Johnson & Couzins’ SkyLouvres feature in many areas of the home, including the opening roof, sliding Atlantis shutters and fixed privacy SkyLouvre.

The tricky site created challenges for the build team, but with many architectural builds in their portfolio, the M O Brown Builders team took it in their stride.

“We have a lot of experience with architectural homes both on the flat and on the hills, and we have an expert team around us who are happy to go the extra mile to achieve a quality outcome. We all enjoy working on bespoke builds, and this is an excellent example of a unique and interesting home,” says Mike Brown.

KITCHEN The sleek and spacious kitchen by MacKay Kitchens and Stairs incorporates doors and panels in Prime Laminate Black Velvet in soft matt, with the feature colour Prime Laminate Surrender in a soft matt finish. The benchtop is A-tech techno porcelain in Calacatta OMG.

Jackie was heavily involved in the project management process from start to finish, and she says the trick is always thinking ahead and planning carefully for the next steps, so nothing is missed. Having developed several properties to sell, she admits it is different when it’s your own home. “There’s more at stake personally I guess, and of course you’re more likely to stretch that budget a little bit to get what you want.”

TILES Tiled floors throughout the home are completed in Arkistone Griege from Naturally Tiles.

Moving into the completed home in October 2019, it wasn’t long until their comfort levels were put to the acid test when the country went into lockdown the following autumn. “That was a strange time, but we did just love it here. We both thought, ‘wow – this is just so cool’. The home is a real haven for us. We enjoyed the pool. The garden is sheltered and a beautiful place to be. And there were people around; we could chat with neighbours, walk in the park and down to the river. It was idyllic.”

A striking building from the road frontage, the geometric shapes translate into unique spaces inside. Natural timber is used to stunning effect on the exterior and to line the entranceway as a backdrop to the staircase. “It was really nice to see some of the finer details come through, the staircase, the louvres along the western boundary and the seamless garage door are all highlights,” says Nick from Three Sixty Architecture.

MASTER ENSUITE The striking vanity features doors and panels in Prime Melamine Nordic Ash and a Caesar stone top in Snow manufactured and installed by Mackay Kitchen and Stairs.

On an exacting architectural build like this one, teamwork and relationships onsite were crucial to the success of the project. Mike from M O Brown Builders says, “With Jackie and Tony’s home a great client/builder relationship made for a smooth process and a quality result which all parties can be proud of. There was a good mix of client and builder sub-trades who worked together, focusing on the same quality result. Everyone knew this was a special home that required some special attention.”

Outdoor living Decking from Outdure was selected to create the multiple outdoor living areas to make the most of the SUN throughout the day.

This attention to detail and focus on the client is what the M O Brown Builders team brings to all of their projects. Mike says, “We as a team always want to exceed expectations and leave a completed project with happy clients. Happy clients are where our next referrals come from.”

Jackie and Tony certainly fit into the category of happy clients. When asked about their favourite aspects of the house, they agree the kitchen is a standout. Jackie says the built-in bar-height table is a favourite feature and the space has become a family hub and entertaining area that works perfectly.

Jackie says, “We love living in the centre of town. We can walk to bars and restaurants. The location is brilliant. We are very happy here, and the builder and the architects did such a great job. Both were so easy to work with. It’s a great result.”

GATES The fence panels and multi-leaf sliding gate were fabricated from perforated aluminium panels on steel frames and powder coated by Christchurch Wrought Iron and Metalwork.

INVOLVED IN THIS PROJECT
BUILDER
M O Brown Builders Limited
027 439 2527
mobrown.co.nz

ARCHITECTURE
Three Sixty Architecture
03 366 3349
threesixtyarch.co.nz

INTERIOR DESIGN & DRAPERY
McKenzie & Willis
03 341 3380
mckenzieandwillis.co.nz

TILES
Naturally Tiles
03 343 0933
naturallytiles.co.nz

INTERIOR JOINERY
Mackay Kitchens and Stairs
03 365 3988
mks.co.nz

HANDCRAFTED FURNITURE
Southern Creations
03 384 7097
southerncreations.co.nz

STAIRCASE AND GATES
Christchurch Wrought Iron and Metalwork Ltd
03 339 7277
christchurchwroughtiron.co.nz

LOUVRES
Johnson & Couzins
0800 664 083
johnsonandcouzins.com

FOUNDATIONS
Solid Bearing Ltd
03 349 9149
solidbearing.co.nz

DECKING
Outdure
0800 77 88 77
outdure.com

ROOFING AND EXTERIOR CLADDING
The Architectural Roofing Company
03 335 0462
tarc.co.nz