Working closely on a business level with a life-long friend can test the relationship, but in the case of Todd Hagan and his friend Andy Spiers, of Aspiers Building Ltd, it was an enjoyable experience.

Todd and his wife Kasia engaged Andy to build their dream home on their 18-hectare maize and support block near Te Awamutu. The couple and their two children, Quinn, 12, and Mela, 10, had been living in the house on the opposite hill for a number of years.

“We’d spent 10 years looking across at this spot, so we knew it well, how the wind blew, how the sun went around it.”

Chris Wilson who is also originally from Te Awamutu, designed the house. The couple started their new build, using Timmos ITM as the main materials supplier.

“We wanted a modern take on a rural building, which fitted into the landscape,” says Kasia.

The design had a long and thin building shape so most of the rooms benefit from all day sun, and there were recessed pockets in the building line creating sunny spots away from the wind.

The final 311m² floor plan was for a four-bedroom home, with open plan living, separate media room, office and laundry, and internal access double garage. A detached 153m² workshop built next to the house, has the same roof pitch and blends seamlessly into the house roofline.

“We designed the house as our forever home,” says Todd.

“When the kids are gone, the main bathroom and three bedrooms can be shut off, leaving us with the rest of the house.”

This future proofing means the master bedroom is the closest to the living areas, and the ensuite is large and has the only bath in the house. Thought was put into the feature tiling from Impact Tiling to make the ensuite more of a main bathroom.

Using natural colours
“The colour scheme of the house is a combination of raw, natural materials, and black accents to give a modern look,” says Kasia.

As a result, the house is clad in three different products. Plain grey concrete blocks, which have been stack bonded to accentuate the vertical aspect of the masonry, will be sealed.

Accent walls of vertical cedar weatherboards have been stained grey to subdue their natural orange colour. Vertical Coloursteel in Ebony rib 50 is used extensively as the main cladding and applied in reverse profile.

The roof has one narrow gable across the width of the house, and two pitches spanning the length of the house. The media room has a feature flat roof. Ebony Coloursteel was used to co-ordinate with the cladding.

“We made use of the roof height inside, with a maximum stud height of 4.1m sloping down to 2.5m, and 2.7m in other areas,” says Todd.

“Due to the high wind zone, window plans had to be re-considered, but there is plenty of glass in the house, and a mixture of double and triple stackers and corner stackers,” says Andy.

Getting outdoor living right
Kwila decking, which totals 165m², has been built at the same level as the 330-millimetre-deep concrete rib raft floor. When the sliders are opened up, the inside and outside become one space.

The couple love entertaining and the spacious covered outside barbecue area was a must. Glenn Mark Pools installed the swimming pool, and use of grey concrete blocks walls, kwila decking, with a simple glass pool fence, has created a smart but minimalist outdoor space.

A project that the couple took special interest in was the hearth in the main living area. The unusual and impressive, 5400mm x 850mm concrete fire hearth was poured in situ and polished up. It is cantilevered so it appears to be floating, with a woodburner sitting on top and storage drawers underneath.

“It was a mission getting the heavy hearth at exactly the right height for putting the concrete wall blocks above it and fitting in them exactly 11 high without the need to cut any. It just looks so much better,” says Andy.

The heart of the home
The kitchen had one main requirement – “tonnes of storage” – and this was partly achieved by putting in a large pantry at one end, that is open, but subtly around a corner. Kasia worked with Got It Made Kitchens to achieve her dream kitchen.

a combination of American white oak and black, all working together. Black appliances add a modern twist.

Kasia loves the “glamorous but quite raw” vintage mirror splash back in the scullery.

“I was really open to colours in the kitchen and I feel that mixing the materials created a modern, sleek, but warm look that really is the heart of the home,” says Kasia.

The kitchen colour scheme blends with the Majestic Woodland wood laminate flooring and Cavalier Bremworth wool loop pile carpet from Collins Flooring Xtra.

With such sleek, modern lines in the house, a hidden heating system, with vents for heating or cooling in every room, was a priority.

“Waipa Heatpumps were involved very early on, installing everything while the house was still at the framing stage,” says Andy.

Todd and Kasia appreciated how Andy worked on the tools and was onsite daily, as well as overseeing the project.

“We both felt we could voice any questions with confidence,” says Todd.

“He also really had our backs, and acted quickly if any problems arose, advocating on our behalf,” says Kasia.