The word that comes to mind when viewing this new, two-storey weatherboard home is ‘mighty’. This large family home spreads 390m² and demands more than a second glance from passers-by on its large section on the outskirts of Ashburton in Canterbury, New Zealand. Its mighty presence is grand, modern in design yet both understated and classic, and it holds its status set slightly on a small rise.

Homeowners Anna and Paul Cartney, in conjunction with Chilton & Mayne Architecture in Ashburton, designed their home with two goals in mind. They wanted to combine Anna’s love of the classic villa with Paul’s desire for a modern house—and they have undoubtedly achieved this. Paul (Cartney Construction Ltd) was also the builder, trading as Smith and Sons Ashburton Ltd.

“It actually took over five years from concept to completion, from our initial drawings back in 2010 to moving in during 2015.” said Paul.

“I like working with timber and didn’t want to mix cladding materials, so chose the Envira Weatherboard System to keep the same finish across the weatherboards, scribers, box corners and posts. It’s the same amount of preparation and end sealing no matter what weatherboard material you choose and I really like the overall finish of timber.”

The light colour choice suits the design perfectly, with a colour contrast making a feature of the box corners. Anna and Paul are very proud of their superb home and entered it in the Mid Canterbury Registered Master Builder House of the Year competition 2017, in the Builders Own Home section where they were awarded a Bronze.

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