Personal is best when building with Landmark Homes

When it comes to building your dream home, design experience and lots of it counts. With the right design-and-build company this will be clear from a visit to one of its show homes. An intelligent design will wow you at the entry and as you stroll through the home's interior, each element from a spacious, tucked-away ensuite to French doors opening onto a private, sunny patio will feel just right, like a homecoming.

Winner of Masterbuilder's House of the Year Gold Award, this Christchurch Landmark Homes show home the Waihopai offers all of the above. Featuring dramatic living areas with high sloping ceilings for a central Otago flavour, the house has several touches that make it a joy to live in day to day. For example, a large walk-in scullery makes the Waihopai feel like a real family home, says franchisee Coralie Pollard.

"However, it is the broader plan of the home that really draws first comment from visitors," says Pollard. "The living and family rooms are separate to enhance the sense of spaciousness, while the master bedroom is set on the other side of the home for more privacy. This has an ensuite and wardrobe of a royal standard."

The Waihopai is about family but it is also about style and longevity, as reflected in the quality of the products specified for the design.

One of the first aspects of the home to draw the eye is its steel tile roof by Gerard Roofs. Milano Tile, with a classic barrel trim, captures a refined and enduring European aesthetic.

Inspired by traditional Roman tilework, Milano Tile looks clean and smooth. Its profile makes a strong style statement, especially with steeply pitched roofs, such as on the Waihopai

Lightweight and secure, with each tile fixed in eight places, Milano Tile comes with Gerard Roof's 50-year pro-rata, weatherproof warranty.

Just as reassuring is the solid construction of the Landmark home, finished with Celcrete autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) panels.

This durable wall system comprises AAC masonry panels 50mm thick, reinforced with vertical and horizontal corrosion-protected steel wires. As a genuine masonry product, Celcrete panels have an extremely long life expectancy.

After fixing, the surfaces are coated with a three-coat reinforced plaster system, with a fibreglass mesh in the base coat to aid rigidity. This is then painted with Wattyl Granoimpact, an elastomeric membrane, to achieve a durable finish suited to New Zealand's variable climate.

"The Waihopai's pluses add up to a house to fully rely on, and fall in love with," Pollard says.

For more details on Landmark Homes and the broad range of plans on offer, freephone 0800 477 110. Web: www.landmarkhomes.co.nz.

Contact Celcrete Cladding Solutions, phone 0800 423527. Web: www.celcretecladding.co.nz.

For further details on Gerard Roofs, phone (09) 978 9028. Web: www.gerardroofs.co.nz.

Story by: Trendsideas