Breaking away from client stories, here we are focussing on a home where we were both client and builder. Designed and built for the purpose of firstly showcasing our work to a different audience, then selling it to a new home buyer. Speaking here is Amanda van der Kley of Fraemohs Homes, who managed the build.
“We chose the Clearwater because it’s such a popular design so it was likely to appeal to anyone who saw it. Its indoor-outdoor flow makes it really appealing to people who love loads of natural sunlight and being able to enjoy their home life with all the doors wide open. We chose to modify the design to display its versatility, and also to future proof it a bit, but realistically we could have built it straight from the original plan and it would have worked just as well. Worth noting too that the rectangular shape of the site is ideal for the Clearwater.”
– Amanda, Project Manager
Site specific
Located on a subdivision in Prebbleton, just south of Christchurch, the rectangular site made it well suited to the Clearwater design, and also allowed for a good amount of flexibility in terms of design customisations.
“We’ve had Clearwater show homes previously, this time though we wanted to demonstrate how versatile our designs are. So for instance we went with a combination of timber and plaster for the cladding, whereas previously we’ve opted for mostly timber cladding. A lot of the internal layout as well we modified to suit the site, and to future proof it for the type of buyer we thought the home would appeal to”.
Future proof
By ‘future proof’ Amanda is saying they factored into the design a range of scenarios and changing living arrangements a typical New Zealand family is likely to encounter over their lifetime. A future proofed home means that as living arrangements change, your home has been designed to accommodate them. So for example, some simple design measures to enhance the privacy and livability of the guest bedroom make it well-suited for an older person to live in with both comfort and privacy.
“In the original Clearwater design it has a WC attached to the guest bedroom. We changed that to be a full ensuite with a large shower, slider and wider doors for enhanced accessibility by an older person. In case the owner’s Mum moved in, or even if they wanted to rent it out. We also changed the formation of the master bedroom a bit – we rearranged the ensuite and WIR so that the WIR is the entrance to the ensuite, which allowed us to place the bed in the master bedroom to be facing toward the view toward the garden. Most of these changes worked out really well and we’re looking to integrate some of them into both the regular Clearwater design, as well as some of our existing and future house plans.”
Below – wine cellar by the entrance. Not in the original Clearwater design, but as with all our plans customisations like this are always an option.
Moving homes is an expensive, time consuming process so the less it has to be done, the better. Future proofing it to account for realistic scenarios is a smart move. And from a sentimental perspective, homes are where memories are made. Being able to stay in the same place regardless of what happens in your life is very comforting for most people looking to build or buy a new home. Passing on a family home to the next generation is almost a lost tradition these days. It doesn’t have to be though. And future proofing it is about the best way to ensure your new home stays in the family.
Did everything go 100% to plan?
Of course not. With an estimated 300,000 variables involved in a typical build there’s no such thing as a perfect build – even when the building company is both the client and the builder. But much can be done to minimise the impact of the unexpected happening, and in this case the unexpected came in the form of a holdup on the delivery of the pine shiplap for the cladding, which arrived a full two months behind schedule. So you hope for the best and prepare for the worst, which in this case meant the holdup didn’t actually delay the build in anyway. Because the decision had been made previously to install the weatherproof exterior which meant work could continue, in any weather, with or without the pine shiplap cladding. So the home was still completed a week ahead of schedule regardless.
Sold
The ‘Clearwater’ at Prebbleton was sold shortly after its completion, with the new owners taking possession in February 2020.
See the Clearwater show home at Twizel
The Fraemohs Wanaka team have a gorgeous Clearwater available for viewing by appointment in Twizel. To see photos or get more info, visit the Twizel show home page.
This is a modified version of our ‘Clearwater’ design. Designed and built by Fraemohs Homes for resale . Like all of our homes the design is fully customisable, available as either a kitset or we can build it for you.
Downloadable buyer guides and a full list of inclusions are available on all house design pages. And if you see something you like, simply enquire and we’ll send you further information including prices.
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