NEW BUILD WORKSHEET

BUDGET

How did you keep track of costs during the build?

A1 Homes provided a breakdown of the build costs so we had a clear budget laid out from the start.

How did your budget compare to your actual spend?

Slightly over the original budget, by 12 percent. Some of this was attributed to items that we never intended to finish as soon as we did, such as the landscaping. How did working with the James Hardie products

help the budget? It definitely helped our cost-saving but, more importantly, we got the look we were after. We could have the colour we desired without it affecting the integrity of the cladding – a black house that could withstand the heat of the summer months.

HONESTY BOX

> What are the best lessons you’ve learned along the way? Keep things simple where you can.

> What obstacles did you come across? We didn’t have too many but there were some unforeseen groundworks. > What’s the one thing you’d change about your home if you could? We’d like a bigger garage.

> Do you tend to buy high-end homeware or seek out a bargain? Seek out a bargain.

> What’s the most memorable experience you’ve had in your home so far? Just being here is all good.

> What now? We’re planning on staying for a while.

CONTACTS

> Building materials jameshardie.co.nz or 0800 808 868. Alastair and Briohny: “We chose this cladding because we liked the vertical and non-symmetrical look and we wanted to paint it black.”

> Design and build Dan Bennett, A1 Homes Auckland, a1homes.co.nz/auckland/a1home, 09 946 3121.