By Fleetwood Construction
Christchurch New Architectural Hill Build 2021
Created for living
Fleetwood Construction has established a solid reputation for building high-quality, architectural homes on the hills surrounding Christchurch. This unique home overlooking the estuary’s magnificent views rests firmly in this category.
Perfectly positioned
When the homeowners saw their neighbours land come up for sale, they saw a great opportunity to create their dream home while keeping the views of Christchurch they had fallen in love with. After some ingenious engineering and design, we were called in to build this complex architectural home. This project required a high level of builder expertise from the very beginning. From a steep, narrow and curving driveway, we brought in a crane to lower the diggers onto the site below the driveway to commence the dig out of the foundation. For us, it was a challenge we thrived on.
Brilliantly designed
The owners’ brief was clear: the couple were ready to downsize, but they also wanted to provide a living space for their grown-up children and families when they visited. And because the owner has been a structural engineer for over 53 years, they wanted to be very involved in the design process. The collaboration of the owner, engineer and architect resulted in an innovative design whereby the second story of the house sits on UHMWPE packers on top of the retaining wall that is anchored into the hillside. This has maximised the size of the home on a very restrictive site but, most importantly, allows the house to move independently of the retaining wall in the event of an earthquake, with minimal damage to the home. We completed the brief with ease, and we delighted in the challenge of repurposing the site’s existing retaining wall from the old earthquake-damaged house, strengthening it, and anchoring it back into the hillside.
Past, present and future
The home has also met the brief in terms of futureproofing and providing guest accommodation for visiting family members and friends. The master bedroom, living and kitchen, with access to the garage and front door, are all on the upper level. This provides self-contained, luxurious, accessible living for the owners in a prime location with sweeping views of the estuary and beyond to the sea. Downstairs, the spacious guest accommodation has three bedrooms, two bathrooms, kitchenette and living, with its own outdoor patio and easy access to the garden. The result is a truly stunning residence that has been intelligently designed to fit an unusually shaped section, with maximum views to match. With mono-pitched ceilings in two different directions on the upper floor and with few right angles in sight, we thrived on the requirement for extremely high attention to detail in this build. As with all our builds, we demand excellence and aim to exceed expectations.
Spectacular results
This home is built to the highest of standards. All insulation has been upspec’ed, the windows are thermally broken, and solar panels have been installed. As a result, it’s an extremely warm home. The large, north-facing windows are set back to give privacy and help reduce any over-heating. The cedar fins over the windows at the entranceway give privacy from the driveway while allowing plenty of dappled light to enter the home. It creates an element of surprise to the entranceway, which adds to the uniqueness of this home. The clients are delighted with the result. Having worked closely with us throughout the build, the owners said they missed Sam and the team when the build was finished.
Photography - Jamie Armstrong
Building and renovating beautiful architectural homes in Christchurch is our passion. To keep an eye on the big picture, oversee complex architectural construction projects while paying close attention to detail and completing everything on time, you have to be 100 per cent committed.
We wouldn’t have it any other way. Here’s why we love building beautiful Christchurch homes. Our passionate and experienced team of builders bring together everything you want in a construction company.
We’re local and have been building in Christchurch since 2003. We’re experienced Licensed Building Practitioners and Registered Master Builders.
We’re safety conscious and work closely with Site Safe to make sure everyone goes home safely. We’re skilled and have picked up multiple House of the Year Awards. Most of all, we’re dedicated to you. At every stage of the building process, you are our top priority. We want you to enjoy watching your dream home come to life. The Fleetwood Construction team will do everything to make that happen.
"We work hard every day to create Christchurch's most personalised, architectural home building experience for our customers."
- Sam & Charlotte Fleetwood