An ugly 1980s two-storey duplex in central Nelson has been transformed into a contemporary, with an industrial twist picture-perfect home using robust building products in smart ways to evoke a sense of place. The home is defined by the identity of homeowners, Johnny and Ana Stevenson. Johnny is a sea captain and Ana is an interior designer and stager who runs her own company, Open Home Ready, from home. The transformation of the Stevensons’ home has been described by Architect, Tony Karsten of Karsten Architectural Design, as “quite immense”. After 16 months of renovation work, Ana is pleased to be able to receive clients at home and let the beautifully appointed home speak for itself.“It is great to be able to share my experience with clients - the good, the bad, and the ugly. There are always compromises to be made. I enjoy the challenge of achieving what I envisaged, even if it had to come out of plan B… or sometimes F,” laughs Ana. “The feel and look of the property is just what we imagined when we first bought it as an ugly duckling four years ago.”

ExoTec Facade Panel was used on the exterior to create an interesting form at the gable ends of the roof, which was a budget-friendly feature in lieu of changing the whole structure. This solution was a perfect match for the original 1980s James Hardie Weatherboards on the top floor and provided a contemporary update to the home. To create the contemporary with an industrial twist look the Stevenson’s were seeking, two large windows on the street front were artfully screened by a fibreglass mesh typically used for walkways on commercial fishing boats operating out of Nelson Harbour, where sea captain Johnny works.HardieFlex Sheet was used to create the fins for the screens. Architectural Designer, Tony Karsten, says, “[The screens] create a stealth profile and introduce some square contemporary forms to the exterior.”The James Hardie products used provided a flexible, durable, and budget-friendly solution. The original James Hardie Weatherboards were in such good condition after 30 years that they only needed a quick paint. James Hardie Weatherboards can be painted in a variety of colours, and provide design flexibility as well as peace of mind when it comes to durability. It allowed Ana to apply her selected colour palette – the “quite dark and moody” landscape of the Marlborough sounds – to both the interior and exterior.

“The materials fit with our brief of having a beautiful, yet easy-care, low maintenance home.” Ana describes the difficulties of keeping to a budget, “With a rebuild or renovation, the unknowns are unavoidable.” Tony advises others about to embark on a similar journey, “You must work with what you’ve got and have realistic goals. With the general cost of building at present, it is easy to aim too high and you will end up over-capitalising.”

It is fully sealed, low-maintenance and has high impact resistance. To achieve a picture-perfect look for your next new home build without the expense, talk to James Hardie today or visit our website for more inspirational home building stories.