Building a home for adults, teens and pre-schoolers was made easy with input from a family architect.
Having an architect in the family has its benefits. It not only helped Brett and Karen McHardie create a family home that worked well for them, but also made them more adventurous with its design.
Karen says it was a no-brainer to ask Brett's architect brother Glenn, director of Stiles and Hooker in Hamilton, to design their home on a block of land at Tamahere, near Hamilton.
"Glenn knew how we lived and what we needed from our home, so he was able to design a house that suited us," says Karen. "We had never built before and we knew this would be our one dream home, so it was important to get it right."
As well as coming up with a family-friendly environment, Glenn encouraged Karen to push her boundaries a little.
"Initially, I needed convincing by Brett and Glenn to allow for the concrete walls, as when we were designing our home six years ago it was quite radical to have exposed concrete block in a residential building," she says.
At the time Karen thought the bare concrete block walls would look too industrial, but now loves the result.
"Our original thoughts for our new house were conservative, but we are really pleased that Glenn led us towards a more contemporary design," Karen says. "Now I wouldn't have it any other way."
Karen says as well as giving the home a sense of permanence, the block walls create a flow between interior and exterior living spaces.
Built for family life, the house can accommodate pre-schoolers to teenagers. The concrete floors and wide hallway allow Jude, aged 4, to ride his trike around the house while Milly, 11, and Tayla, 14, can have friends over to swim in the pool.
While Karen made most of the decisions about the kitchen and bathroom designs, fittings and colours, Brett, an engineer, designed and built the steel work for the home.
"He's pedantic, so it meant he could keep an eye on building progress to ensure plans were being followed," says Karen.
He also used his skills to create the dining and outdoor tables, which are built of different materials but are the same dimensions so they can be pushed together to create a large dinner table for family gatherings.
The lounge is Karen's favourite room, with sliding doors that create a large entertaining area with easy indoor-outdoor flow.
"We enjoy visits from friends and family and love that they feel welcome in our home," Karen says. "This house is by no means a show home. We aren't precious about the floors or walls, what we care about most is the memories made within them."
Style tips
Watching brief: A low-level slot window in the lounge allows the family to look out to the driveway but still maintain their privacy. "This is our son Jude's favourite spot for watching cars come and go," says Karen.
New purpose: The McHardies use an antique Indian day bed as a gigantic coffee table. "You can tell from the table's surface that the wood must have been chipped from a tree with rudimentary tools," says Karen.
Fond memories: Karen uses secondhand items to give the modern home warmth. "I'm drawn to things reminiscent of my childhood, hoping that my kids may get the same joy as I do from such nostalgia.
Leanne Moore is the editor of Your Home & Garden. See the latest issue, on sale now, for more achievable home ideas.
