Designer detail in Versatile show piece
Build with a difference and you build interest. An early response to the new Versatile New Plymouth show home off Wills Rd in Bell Block is a pleasing testament to that.
The show home officially opens on Saturday, November 2, but Versatile New Plymouth managing director Maree Gush says one prospective client passing by recently just had to stop and check out the elevated home.
The designer look of the recessed front entry, with six lavender standards in slender gardens lining a boardwalk approach, had prompted the interest, Maree was told.
‘‘It was nice to learn we had got that right,’’ she says. ‘‘And she said she liked that this home didn’t look like other show homes.’’
That positive response also reinforces the saying that first impressions count and vindicates the choices made by Maree and fiancee Mike Bishell in planning and building this show home on the corner of Keene Drive and Papawhero Drive, in the Twin Lakes development.
They started with the fourbedroom Sheppard design from Versatile’s Family range and tweaked it to better suit the site and their needs for a show home. In the process, it grew from the standard 214sqm to
235sqm.
That’s a process that many clients follow, says Maree. They add personal touches and finishes to a standard plan to make it their own.
Since buying the Versatile
New Plymouth business five years ago, Mike and Maree have established it as a serious option for building quality homes in the city. The new show home emphasises that.
The journey hasn’t been easy; the Taranaki franchise had been inactive for more than a year when they bought it, so they started from scratch. Industry experience, however, was an advantage for both: Mike is a floor-layer by trade and Maree had been an office manager in the New Plymouth Versatile franchise before taking time out to raise their family. The couple also had experience in building several ‘spec’ homes in the city.
With that background, their purchase of this business was logical. ‘‘We were familiar with the Versatile franchise and knew what the potential was,’’ says Maree. ‘‘That gave us confidence to buy the brand here.’’
Their previous 110sqm show home at 3 Hurlstone Drive is also their current office. This new Bell Block show home is their first off-site promotion and at 235sqm is a very different offering.
‘‘We wanted to take the business here to another level,’’ Maree explains. ‘‘Ten years ago, Versatile was known for building steel-clad garages, and cottages aimed at first homeowners or people downsizing. We still have that market, but have also extended into the upper end of the housing market.’’
That upmarket progress is recognised by more and more people, she says, helped by the promotional involvement of former All Black captain Richie McCaw, who built his own home with Versatile.
The New Plymouth team has grown from two in 2014 to 15 fulltime staff today. Six work in the Hurlstone Drive office and the rest are builders or tradespeople out working on client sites.
Their work now stretches from building garages, sleepouts and farm buildings, to a market spanning, five-collection range of housing plans and full custom designs.
It’s become winning work. The New Plymouth business won the national Versatile network’s 2016 Franchise Excellence Award and for the last two years has been runnerup in Versatile’s Franchise of the Year Award. In 2019, that was just one point away from first place among the 32 franchises of the network and Maree and Mike are looking to build on that success.
Success, however, is only complete when clients gain the home they want to create the lifestyle they want, Maree says. ‘‘That’s what we do ... we help improve someone’s life!’’
Their 2019 show home should help them do that, showing clients here what can be done using Versatile’s skills, resources and advice. It stands out, slightly elevated on its 800sqm corner site and oriented nicely to the north and the sun’s warmth and light.
Landscaping of the section, from the boulder retaining wall around the frontage to the tall fencing creating privacy at the back, reveals the one-stop-shop advantage of having Versatile complete a home project. Maree says that can involve a standard plan from the Metro, Freedom, Lifestyle or Family ranges or start with a free concept design service before moving on to a full custom project.
Mike and Maree chose a simple grey brick for the show home’s main cladding, but complemented it with sections of BCG’s Dura groove fibre-cement panel. They painted the panels in a rich cedar shade to create a warm accent to the cool grey presentation. Roof and exterior joinery is black.
Among the features inside that should impress visitors from the show home’s first open day are: Designer-style entry with digital access for convenience and security.
2.55m stud height throughout the house.
2.7m boxed ceiling section in the dining/living area for a greater sense of space. Double skylight over the kitchen to let in natural light. Gas-on-glass wok burner complemented by matching electric induction hob.
Full scullery to the side of the kitchen.
Large, sunny timber deck off the living area.
Cavity slider doors can open or close formal lounge to living areas.
Sliding barn-style door closing hallway and bedrooms from living areas.
Master bedroom opening to timber deck and back yard privacy and shelter.
Walk-through wardrobe to master bedroom ensuite, which is fully tiled with pale marble look tiles across floor and up walls, and boasts a skylight for more natural light.
Feature wallpaper (charcoalcoloured foliage design) in master bedroom.
Smart-technology, bluetooth controlled light switches in living areas and master bedroom.
Solatubes along hallway for natural light during the day.
Oversized double garage with extra space at the back for storing bikes or other bulky items.
The Keene Drive show home opening hours are Thursday and Friday 10am till 4pm, Saturday 10am till 2pm, Sunday 12 noon till 4pm. The Hurlstone Drive display office is open Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5pm and Saturday 9am to noon. Shannon Pearce is Versatile New Plymouth’s housing consultant and can be contacted on 027 237 5669.