New Rata St home on show in Hawera

Acorner setting at 51F Rata St in Hawera shows off Milestone Homes’ latest South Taranaki build to advantage.

The home is a statement in white that Milestone Homes Taranaki managing director Jody Calvert says presents so well that it is being opened as a ‘pop up’ show home for a month during the sales period. That increased exposure reflects the growing interest in Milestone Homes in South Taranaki - about half the company’s activities are currently focused on this district, while other new builds and townhouse projects progress in New Plymouth.

“There’s a lot of land available in Hawera,” Jody says, “and although New Plymouth is a drawcard for some, not everyone is moving north. Hawera still has that bythe-sea feel for people wanting to build and live here.”

The residence at 51F Rata St is one of several Milestone houseand-land packages available in this new subdivision off Rata St. Another of the company’s projects is nearing completion on the opposite corner and there are opportunities to purchase other house-and-land packages through Milestone Homes in Stage 2 of the subdivision.

With this level of activity, it’s understandable that Milestone Homes has built up a local South Taranaki team. “South Taranaki and Stratford are significant markets for us,” Jody says, “and being based down here helps in planning and co-ordination of our projects. Almost all of our tradies are local and they communicate and work together very well.

“If we get a phone call from a client, we are only two minutes’ away - business partner Glen Jordan, known as Jordy, lives locally and is always available for a coffee and joke!”

The style and finish of this home and its setting at

No 51F stands out among its neighbours. “This area is a premier location in Hawera and I felt this corner section deserved an extra presentation.”

The house began as one of Milestone Homes’ standard plans, Jody says, but it has been enhanced to add extra features and appeal. A fifth bedroom space was opened up to accommodate a relocated kitchen and that allowed a larger living space and provision of a flexible office/ study room off that.

The changes illustrate the choices that people can make in adapting an existing plan to create their ideal home. The Milestone Homes team can also create design-and-build plans, clients can bring in their own plans, or they can sit down and discuss ideas with Jody and business partner Campbell Mattson.

This new Rata St home celebrates its changes.

Jody points out the split-gable roofline as an eyecatching design detail. That roof choice is also practical, with the gable above the integrated garage extending over the front door to create a sheltered porch entry.

The choice of a white-onwhite presentation becomes another point of difference. “The main colour, inside and out, is Resene’s Wan White, which we selected from their Karen Walker collection. Aluminium joinery and the Coloursteel roof are finished in Titania, a similar white that creates a mono-colour look.”

Jody was attracted by the subtle warmth of the two shades. “It’s all white, but it doesn’t feel stark. It has a Hamptons or Cape Cod feel.”

She made the same choice, when it came to defining the section’s corner boundary, opting for a white paint finish for the Laminata timber fencing.

There’s nothing rustic about this timber fence; it has a refined look with capped timber posts and horizontal tongue-and-groove boards. That white frame allows an easy appreciation of the natural green of lawns and the different colours and textures of plantings around the grounds.

Inside the front door, visitors will find the visual warmth of oak-look wooden laminate flooring to offset the all-white walls and ceilings. That oak look flows through the open kitchen, dining and family areas, and is complemented by the similar natural shade of the woven rattan lightshades over the kitchen bench. Carpet adds extra comfort in the adjacent lounge that can be conveniently closed off with a pair of French doors.

The kitchen is another allwhite affair, broken only by the black-glass front of the 900mm-wide freestanding Fisher & Paykel cooker with its convection oven and induction cooktop. Jody notes the

1m-wide engineered stone that tops the peninsula-style bench and drops down waterfall-style at its outer end.

Behind that cooker is a wall of leaf-shaped mosaic tiles, mostly white but lifted with random tiles in soft, earthy shades that add another touch of visual warmth. At the inner end of the kitchen, a cavitysliding door opens to reveal a walk-in pantry, where there’s extra space provided for a wine fridge.

The living spaces open up through stacker doors in the lounge and a pair of internalcorner stackers in the openplan living area to access two timber decks linked by a boardwalk and garden. There’s a view out there to take in as well - you can sit inside and look north across the neighbourhood to the mountain.

“This is an entertainer’s house,” Jody says. “And it’s facing north-west, so is naturally warm with all-day sun. It’s spacious, but cosy... an inviting, homely feel with executive appointments.”

She points out the generous office of study space behind cavity-sliding doors at the back of the living area. “You could work from home here, and just close the doors after so no-one sees any paper work.”

The deck off the living area is covered for all-weather enjoyment, she says. “It’s important to have somewhere under cover. We have to live with weather, but you can still sit out here and barbecue on a wet day.”

A central hallway gives access to the carpeted and insulated double garage with its handy extra storage or workshop space to one side, a separate laundry, family bathroom with full-size bath and toilet, another separate toilet, three double bedrooms and the master bedroom at the end. Good storage is another feature of this home, with huge cupboard space behind sliding doors in the hallway.

The master bedroom is a generously sized space with its own sliding door access to a sunny deck that will enjoy increasing shelter and privacy as the perimeter plantings mature. The ensuite is fully tiled across floor and walls in a pale marbled finish with warm, earthy tones. The walkin wardrobe is fully fitted with walls of shelves and drawers - all painted white again.

In the laundry, family bathroom and separate toilet, Jody and designer Hannah Mattson relaxed the focus on white and had green and white floor tiles laid in a checkerboard pattern. The textured surface of the tiles gives them a hand-made look that gives a softer touch to this decor.

These floor tiles also have underfloor heating. Jody says the laminate flooring in the kitchen and living areas doesn’t need to be heated, but the tile floors do. “Taranaki is the sun capital of New Zealand, but it’s not the Mediterranean, and I wanted the house to be warm!”

This house sits on a section of 804sqm, which has been carefully landscaped by Chris and his team at Down to Earth Landscapes to a detailed design by landscape designer Nathan Richardson.

The lawn areas are all bordered with concrete mowing strips, finished with an exposed-aggregate surface that is darkened with black oxide for a high-quality look. In front of the house, extra concrete parking space will be appreciated by visitors - and there’s another concreted area down the side of the house where a boat or trailer could be parked safely.

When this property is eventually sold after the month-long show-home promotion, its first owners will be able to move in with absolutely nothing to finish, except pick some curtains.

They will be able to easily picturelifeherewiththestaging that Jody has commissioned. “All the furniture has been staged as if the home is ready to be lived in right now,” she says. “And if prospective buyers like what they see, all the furniture - apart from the beds - is available as part of the property purchase.”