SCHOOL ZONES:
Bombay School, Pukekohe High School.
CONTACT:
Andre Ferguson 0274 818 266
Having a family connection in the construction industry is a bonus when building a home. Just ask Lloyd and Katrina Butcher; they sing the praises of having brother Hugh involved in the build of their contemporary country home in Bombay.
"My brother works for Clevedon company AG Builders," explains Lloyd. "It was good because he built it like it was his own house, like a builder's house. He spent that extra time to make sure it was perfect."
The couple, whose children are toddler Jacob and baby Leana, bought the property, which had been farmland, in March 2013. Construction of the four-bedroom home started in October 2013 and they moved in around the end of July last year.
They chose to live in Bombay because it is close to the motorway and they liked the community. "My wife takes the kids to the playcentre and there is a really good preschool, Little Pioneers; my son went there for a while," says Lloyd. "It's one of the best day care centres around, and the school is awesome. And Bombay is close to Pukekohe."
The couple wanted a home that would work well for their young family, making good use of space, natural light and the rural views. They enlisted Pukekohe firm CTM Architectural for the design.
"The house designer came out on site and looked around and designed the house for the view, including the pond in front, and capturing the all-day sun.
"I don't like to waste the space in the house; it's open-plan. I like the gabled ends, the picture framing around the windows and we made sure there was plenty of storage."
There is a triple garage plus more parking on the concrete driveway.
The home, built of a fibre-cement weatherboard (really good because there are no joins in it, says Lloyd) has schist-like concrete detailing in the columns at the entranceway, the pillars on the decks and for the fireplace surround inside and the chimney detailing outside.
The central area of the 270sq m home has open-plan dining, living area and kitchen with stone-topped island bench and scullery. Dining and lounge areas have high, raked ceilings, with a 2.7m stud through the rest of the house.
Image 1 of 6: Enjoy picturesque views from sunny deck
Ranchsliders from the living areas open to the deck, which wraps around half of the house.
The west wing has the master bedroom (its en suite includes a freestanding bath) also opening to the deck, and a nursery.
At the other end of the home are three large bedrooms, a bathroom and a lounge.
The home is kept warm by natural sunlight, augmented when needed by the gas fire, plus heat pump and transfer system. Solar panels on the roof supply some of the power.
"Whenever we can, we use solar power," says Lloyd. "Our hot water system is a heat pump; in the summer time our power bills are not much at all."
Lloyd says the house flows really well and they especially like the privacy afforded by having the master bedroom in the west wing away from the other bedrooms. At present, they have baby Leana in the nursery next to their bedroom, but long-term they planned to use this room as a study.
"My favourite part of our home is the deck outside the lounge/family room where it is bathed in sun and I can watch my son play," says Katrina. "Also the kitchen with the induction cooktop and tons of storage."
"I love the views and the family room," says Lloyd.
The couple have landscaped the 5291sq m section with a level lawn, natives they have planted, pathways plus paddocks.
They are selling because they have another property project planned. "This house was built for us to live in for the next 20 years, and then we decided to do something different," says Lloyd.
"We imagine the people who buy our house will be looking for privacy, where you can come home to relax in comfort and a quality build," says Katrina.
