ALL ROADS LEAD TO LIFESTYLE
Being accessible to so many wild and wonderful attractions in West Auckland might make the verdant fields of Taupaki the ultimate lifestyle launching pad.
A PROMOTIONAL blurb for the area certainly reinforces the point.
“Just in case you’ve missed the memo, West is best. A thriving part of the City of Sails, West Auckland is home to awesome markets, great food and bevvies, and plenty of spots to be at one with nature.”
Regardless of the shopping list of splendid things to do in the area, Shane and Nic Burnett believe their house on a hill in Taupaki is about as good as it gets, with views out over prime pastureland to a peek of Rangitoto in the distance.
Their friends liken their new Customkit home to a wide-open and welcoming glass house full of sun and positive energy.
That’s just on the inside. There are also many outside areas to enjoy thanks to its perfect indoor-outdoor flow.
“The biggest ‘must have’ was the open-plan living with high, cathedral ceilings,” says Nic. “We get so many comments from people when they walk in and look up. This effect is heightened with lots of windows and ranch sliders to let the light in.
“We have achieved exactly what we wanted to with these sliding doors on both sides of our main living area. If it’s windy in a certain direction we can open up the opposite side and it’s completely sheltered.”
Another essential element for the build was having a large, open-plan design. When someone is in the kitchen cooking up a storm, they can still be part of family conversations and entertainment. It’s a big benefit when you have five people living under one roof. So is the separate TV and family room.
Having more say
The first house the couple built was a full turn-key operation. Once the contact was signed, they had no meaningful say in the project as it moved forward.
Nic’s brother had built a small house with Customkit that attracted them to the portal-style design. When they learned more about their ability to be part of various aspects of the build, their enthusiasm for this potential partner grew.
“This time around we wanted to play a bigger part in the build,” says Nic. “It was a positive challenge to organise all the extras in the build. Shane and I were quite involved in certain processes; the kids even helped us pre-paint all the battens.
“With Customkit we were able to do our own research and choose our own builder who was tremendous to deal with and made the whole process a breeze. We were able to source our own suppliers for everything the kitset didn’t include. This in turn saved us a lot of money.”
Shane gib-stopped the interior and the couple painted the entire house themselves, inside and out. The discount they received on Resene Paints – part of the Customkit preferred supplier network – was another benefit.
The freedom, flexibility and total involvement in the building process was a real bonus, says Nic.
“My advice to anyone looking to build is find a builder that you can communicate with easily. Make sure you get references. Do your homework, research, and get more than one quote for everything you need.
“Overall, we had a great experience building our home and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Customkit to anyone looking to create their very own lifestyle home.”