The Block NZ 2012 winner Ben Crawford and his fiance Kylie have built their dream home. Here is the final episode in the series.
The Block NZ 2012 winner Ben Crawford and his fiancé Kylie have finished building their dream home.
It's official. We're living inside the dream. Last week we moved into our dream home and it has been everything we'd hoped it would be and so much more.
One of the most surreal feelings was waking up in our bedroom on the first morning surrounded by the same ferns, trees and birds that had inspired our vision for the whole house so many months earlier.
In fact, it was 18 months ago that Kylie and I fell in love with a piece of land no one wanted. It was an ugly duckling that had been on the market for six years and during that time no one had been able to set free the beautiful swan hidden beneath the overgrowth. Sure, it had some issues, like a stream running through the middle of it, but we were optimistic about turning what many saw as negatives into unique features of a very special home.
So many people told us we couldn't do it. From the man on the street to experienced property developers who told us we'd lose the shirts off our backs. But that only made us more determined and, by forming an incredible team who shared our ambitious vision, we've been able to achieve what many people thought was impossible.
As cliched as it sounds, we're still waiting for it to sink in that this beautiful home is actually ours. It's so perfect, shiny and new that it feels like we're living in a woodland hotel, complete with a tranquil stream washing away the stresses of daily life. It's magical.
Friends and family have already been asking what our favourite parts of the house are. Of course I love it all, especially the sense of achievement in turning an idea into a building that we can now call home. On a more granular level, you can't beat the feeling of being in the bush while sleeping, showering, sitting on the sofa or eating dinner at the dining table. Plus the roof-top deck is off-the-Richter cool.
For Kylie, the size of the kitchen, with drawers for everything imaginable, is just one part of the house that she adores. The bathrooms, which are essentially giant wet areas, and wide hallways, also get big ticks. Then, like me, she loves the outlook which makes her feel like she's always on holiday.
The outdoor stream. Photo / Ben Crawford
The master bedroom. Photo / Ben Crawford
The living room. Photo / Ben Crawford
Would we build our own home again? Absolutely. Living in a house tailored to your specific wants and needs is amazing. But I don't think we'll be moving from our slice of paradise anytime soon.
However, we are going to be building more houses soon, just not for ourselves. We've kept our dream team of builders, engineers, architects and suppliers on board and formed Cubic Living. We'll be designing and building luxury, modular homes from prefabricated SIP panels because we all believe in this construction method so much.
So that's it, our mission is completed and our dream has been fulfilled. We'll be forever grateful to everyone that has helped us create our amazing home, especially our brilliant builders at Haven Renovations. You're all legends.
Thank you so much for coming along on this journey with us. It's been humbling to receive so many comments through our website, in the supermarket or along the street, wishing us well. Many times your words picked us up when we were down, or reminded us that, heck, we're doing something pretty special. So thank you and good luck with all of your home projects that you've been telling us about.
Another view of the living room. Photo / Ben Crawford
The kitchen. Photo / Ben Crawford
The hallway. Photo / Ben Crawford
The dining room. Photo / Ben Crawford
10 of the most important things we learned while building our home
1: Talk to the council
They're not as scary as they're made out to be and, while they set the legislation, they're also there to help you negotiate it. Involving the council from the start made our build almost seamless from a bureaucracy point of view.
2: Your builders are the most important part of your team They're the guys on site every day, thinking on their feet, scheduling the build and crafting the home you're going to live in. You place huge trust, financially and emotionally, with your builders, so choose wisely. Ray, Garrick and the rest of the team at Haven Renovations are incredible and we can't recommend them highly enough.
3: Square pegs don't fit round holes If someone doesn't get what you're trying to do, move on and find someone who does. You'll waste time and end up with sub-standard results if you try to persevere with them.
4: Don't rush just for the sake of rushing Time is one of the biggest pressures during a build but don't fall into the trap of rushing at the expense of quality. I was guilty at times of trying to push things through too quickly, but I'm glad the guys on site reined in my exuberance when required. The quality of workmanship over every aspect of the house is superb, only made possible by giving each job the appropriate amount of time.
5: Invest in quality So often it feels like your money is disappearing into a black hole, warping your sense of what is prudent expenditure and what isn't. I'm glad we invested in quality fittings, finishes and structural elements. You only have one chance to nail these, plus they're the most visible aspects of your finished home.
Now we're in, the expenditure in these areas was definitely worth it, although at the time it was tempting to cut corners.
6: It's not always fun There will be dark days, with stresses on you financially and personally. But when you move in, all of the blood, sweat and tears are worth it 10 times over.
7: You don't have to do something just because that's the way it's always been done There are a whole host of incredibly innovative businesses and Kiwis challenging the norm by producing products that are alternatives to the traditional building methods. Hunt them out, talk to them, be inspired by them and think about using their products and systems.
8: Ask lots of questions You won't know unless you ask and, more often than not, the answer will surprise you, enabling you to achieve things that may seem impossible. We rang everyone imaginable to figure out if we could build our house. It's easy to be too shy, scared or lazy to pick up the phone, but what's the worst that can happen? Someone says no?
9: There's always something to do Even once you've moved in, you'll find plenty of little jobs to do. Sowing lawns, touching up walls or planting the garden. Embrace it and enjoy it because you're living in your new home!
10: Never give up Dream big, don't get put off and do whatever it takes to achieve your vision. You'll regret it if you don't.
