Saran Place, Hillsborough – completed 2015

This project involved demolition of an existing home to make way for a new construction, increasing the footprint of the residence from proposed floor area increased from 260sqm to 400sqm. The work was completed in two distinct stages so that the owner could continue living at the property during construction. This required careful planning and site management to achieve the right balance between usable space and construction areas, access to services and vehicle movements.

Stage 1 – Site Engineering and Construction of Extended Building Footprint

Stage 1 involved placement of a new suspended concrete slab on the side of the hill, adjacent to the existing building footprint. This was the foundation for a new 3-car garage, master bedroom and ensuite, which would eventually connect in to the new house.

Stage 2 – Demolition and New Construction on Existing Foundation

For stage 2 the existing house was demolished to make way for the core building for the new house. Before this could begin, a temporary kitchen was set up in the newly completed garage so that the client could move into the new master suite for the remainder of the build.

The existing foundation was used for the new layout which made better use of the site’s position and views. A substantial deck area was built on the side of the hill which involved an unusual shape to complement the contours of the land and maximise the flow of movement from the house to the outdoor space.

Key design features

The exterior incorporates vertical and horizontal cedar weatherboards and zinc cladding – mainly on the integral garage – and aluminium panels. The over-sized flush cedar weatherboard doors – the largest to be built in New Zealand – and suspended concrete entrance steps added to the dramatic detailing, all of which required significant attention to detail to meet the exacting standards of the design.

The two separate components of the house were connected with a customised floating internal stairwell, which was constructed onsite to provide an exact fit.

Greatest challenges for the project

The main challenge was the site itself: a steep section on the side of the mountain, located on a small private road. With forward planning and good communication with residents of the other houses using the road we were able to provide a detailed construction programme right from the beginning. All subcontractors knew in advance where to park and the difficulty of the site prior to pricing, which ruled out any unforeseen access issues.

Photography Credit: Andy Chui