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