Amy and Adam Turner, and their two littlies Harper and Leo, are your quintessential young Kiwi family. Their first home couldn't be more befitting.
They paid their dues to get there, flatting in cold rentals, bunking down with family and saved, saved, saved. The First Home Buyer KiwiSaver scheme was the enabler in getting them into the market.
"We initially thought buying an older house would be cheaper", recalls Amy, "but we sat down, worked it all out and it wasn't. The First Home Buyers Grant enabled us to get a lot with what we had".
Employing an independent architect, the pair considered numerous building companies before deciding on Classic Builders. "We weren't sure they would take on our plans" says Adam, "but they did and at a really competitive rate. It meant we could have the design we wanted from a reputable building company we could trust".
Styled off the classic New Zealand villa, the exterior of the home is black Linea weatherboard with white trim. The interior is Scandinavian themed, perfectly balanced with industrial flair. Subway tiles in the kitchen are offset by a handmade rimu barndoor, which also acts as a clever divider between central living and all three bedrooms.
Amy says she wanted the home to be modern, with open plan living. And to retain the villa feel, they lifted the roof height and put in an open fire.
"It was something we really had to fight for", says Amy. "But Classic Builders made it happen for us. The double glazing makes the house so warm, which you don't get with older homes".
"A lot of our ideas were quite specific but again, Classic Builders were so good about it", says Adam.
For Amy the home was all about nesting. "We just couldn't wait to have our own space and when we finally moved in, we'd just walk around pinching ourselves – we couldn't really believe it was ours".
Baby Harper clearly loves playing outside on the expansive front lawn and dotes on her new little brother. With summer looming, life for this little family just gets better and better.
Dreaming of Building your Dream Home from Scratch?
While it might seem like a daunting task, there's nothing more exciting than designing and building your dream home. You might have an existing plan like Adam and Amy did, or need something that's totally designed from scratch, bringing together all your ideas to create the perfect space.
Classic Builders has a team of designers who can deliver bespoke architectural plans to suit you and your lifestyle. Following tried and tested design principles, all their plans come with a comprehensive forecast and scope of work - factoring in things like any section work, utilities, and the home's orientation - to then give accurate pricing upfront.
If you're interested in talking to someone about designing and building your dream home, call Classic Builders today on 0508 4 CLASSIC or visit them in one of their Showhomes throughout the Bay of Plenty.