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.

The freedom, flexibility and total involvement in the building process was a real bonus, says Nic.