Family’s ‘elegant fortress’

A love of "honest" and robust materials is at the heart of this builder’s own home in Wanaka.

From the street, a wall of concrete bricks skirts the perimeter, allowing a glimpse of two gently-sloping buildings — one a garage and office, the other, the main house.

Clad in concrete block veneer and dark-stained cedar, both buildings are set around a courtyard garden and decking.

Architect Rafe Maclean planned an "elegant fortress" that used minimal materials and fine-lined detail for a strong-yet-subtle presence. The emphasis was on "crisp-edge detailing" with nothing extraneous.

Owners David and Bridget Owens, of Owens Building, say the courtyard, garden walls and block veneer are all a nod to mid-century design. "We like the honest materials of that era and the on-display construction — that it’s not all covered with architraves and trim, so must be well executed."

The couple bought their section before moving to Wanaka more than six years ago. Located off Aubrey Rd, it offers glimpses of the lake and expansive mountain views toward Treble Cone.

Given the site is elevated above the street, privacy was an important consideration. The courtyard layout with block wall perimeter delivers on this, also shielding the home from "visual noise" within the built-up neighbourhood.

Entry to the three-bedroom house is through a pair of mild steel doors and across a pebbled courtyard with a concrete water feature.

The gentle, calm design journey continues inside, where ceilings lined in oak veneer wrap partway down the walls, providing texture and warmth within the living zone.

The black kitchen includes a peninsula bench outlined in stainless steel and the cabinetry on the back wall runs the length of the room, transitioning into a window seat with a view of the mountains.

The brief called for clean lines and a warm, earthy colour palette. The home also needed to be comfortable through the changing seasons and in particular, not overheat in summer.

To ensure it sits at the right temperature year-round, there are overhangs to the north, clerestories to the south, thermally broken triple-glazed windows and doors, extra insulation, and a heat-recovery ventilation system.

With construction details on display, there was a need for precision craftsmanship and the home doesn’t disappoint.

"If you work as accurately as you can through each stage, the finishing work is made relatively easy — everything fits together as it should," Mr Owens says. "Like most things, it is all in the preparation."

Sleek and minimalist, the 223sqm property won the builders’ own home category and a gold award in the regional Master Builders’ House of the Year awards.