Classic Chats

Meet Lucy & Phil

"We had originally considered renovating and thought that building a new house was out of our reach. Then we spoke to Classic Builders and realised we might be able to make it work.”

Lucy, Phil and their two children were keen to develop an old building on their property to take advantage of the views, derive some income and provide a place for their family and friends to stay when they visit. Previously a cattery, the site has the best views in Porirua, hence wanting to maximise these with expansive decking and spectacular indoor/outdoor flow.

After chatting to Mark, one of our Construction Managers, who conveniently lived next door and Teresa, one of our Building Consultants, who grew up on the same street, the decision to build with Classic was easy. The local knowledge of the team, coupled with being able to work with Classic to adapt a Standard Plan to suit the site, the dotted line was signed and the process of building their new home began.

The Plan & Advice

"Within a few months of the build finishing, we opened it as an Airbnb.  It is popular and we have had lots of compliments"

Lucy and Phil relied on the Classic Builders team for advice and to help make decisions.

Working alongside our colour consultant, Lucy and Phil were able to draw on industry advice and expertise when deciding colours, claddings and finishings throughout their home.

The plan was for a 3 or 4 bedroom home with indoor/outdoor flow and something that would suit the site, with a huge emphasis on maximising the stunning views.

They chose to increase the height of the studs and the window joinery in the living area. This has made a real difference to how open and light it feels within this space. This is something Lucy and Phil would 'highly recommend to anyone building their dream home'.

The Process & Experience

"The team were all fantastic and worked super hard to make the whole process easy, keep things on track and deliver to a high standard."

Approaching a new build project of any scale is a daunting experience. Understanding where to start, who to involve and what steps to take, can feel complicated and overwhelming. Regardless of what stage you are currently at, our team will guide you through our process, so you feel confident that we are designing and building your dream.

A lot of our clients haven't built before, so we work with you to educate and keep you in the know throughout the entire process.

"We didn't have to do too much thinking ourselves as Classic took care of so much for us. At the end of the process, we were amazed that we hadn't experienced delays or increases in price. This was our worst fear with all the media hype about increasing costs of building materials. Our final invoice matched what we were expecting, and the only extra things we had paid for were things we had chosen."

The Features

Featuring a plaster and natural oak cedar cladding, Lucy and Phil have designed this home for 'wow' street appeal. The different rooflines and mixed claddings pop against the beautiful natural landscape. Triple stacker sliders opening up to the Kapiti coast and across to Kapiti Island bring the outdoors in and provide an awesome spot for a morning coffee or an after-work drink.

The bath is luxurious and big enough for two people. There is plenty of storage space in the kitchen and ample room for guests to stay connected yet have their own areas if required.

"We wanted to install an outdoor bath ourselves. Classic Builders were really helpful in adapting the plans and pipes so that we could get piped hot water at the end of the garden for the bath!"

The Classic Team

Everyone within the Classic team is dedicated to building dreams and creating futures ensuring your home is fit for you now and into the future. Below we hear from some of Lucy and Phil's Classic team regarding their favourite features of the home and what bringing dreams to life means to them.

Teresa McCombie - Building Consultant

Favourite feature?

"It has to be the beautifully appointed kitchen/dining/living with great access to the decking and outdoor living and that truly gorgeous view. I also love the entrance with the different claddings and angles and the view down the side of the house to the sea."

What does bringing our Classic clients dreams to life mean to you?

"Well, with this build, I have a special affiliation in that I grew up at the end of Muri Road and our family home was there up until not that long ago - so this was my home turf! I loved meeting with Lucy initially and appreciated all the hard work she had done at the preliminary stages to figure out what was possible. From there seeing the demolition of the old cattery and the transformation of the site with the construction of their new home was awesome. Seeing their dreams of having an Airbnb come to fruition (with many bookings) is their dream brought to life and I feel privileged to have been a part of it."

Mark Turner - Construction Manager

Favourite feature?

"The 2.7m ceiling in the living area and full height windows that let loads of light in and the amazing views of Kapiti Island/coast and the surrounding hills."

What does bringing our Classic clients dreams to life mean to you?

"It’s the best part of any build to welcome the clients into their new home which has exceeded their expectations. Looking at a plan on paper is nothing compared to the finished product!"

The Advice & Final Words

"We felt very safe and well looked after with Classic Builders. Trust the team, don't worry and enjoy the process - we did!"

"Huge thanks to the whole team at Classic Builders, but especially to Teresa and Mark who were the two people that we had the most face-to-face interaction with. It was good to know that Teresa grew up in the area (on the same road) and Mark lived next door, so it felt like keeping it in the family! They are both absolutely superb people, honest, helpful, down to earth and hard working. They really made the experience very enjoyable. We know that there were many others who also put effort into making it a success, including Leon, Michelle, Lauren and the many builders who worked on site, often on a weekend to keep on schedule. We can't thank them enough!"

Thank you, Lucy and Phil, we loved bringing your dream to life and are glad you love the finished product as much as we do. Enjoy taking in your stunning views!