Crafted coastal calm

This builder’s own home for Jack Hoult and his young family was architecturally designed by Alice Gironella, director of Rubixarc. Jack and his family live an active, coastal lifestyle and love spending time on the beach and in the surf. “This dynamic way of living directly influenced the home’s open plan design, which emphasises seamless connection to both water views and the outdoors, creating a relaxed environment suited to their energetic and evolving family needs,” says Alice.

Finding the right location was the starting point for Jack and family: “We were drawn to Rangitahi in 2017 in the early stages of the development. We spent a lot of time walking through the land with the development manager Sam Laity trying to find a place that would tick all of the boxes,” says Jack who was looking for a north facing site, close to the water with sea views.

“We really felt we achieved this and it’s a testament to the Rangitahi team who worked hard to help us find the perfect section,” says Jack. The top priority was maximising the impressive views of the Rangitahi Peninsula and Mount Karioi.

The design brief envisioned a fourbedroom home with a study, spacious family bathroom, laundry, large double garage with a substantial workshop and a generously sized open plan kitchen, dining and living area along with ample storage. Using all of the space available within the build was very important to Jack. Rather than having the usual under house storage, Jack turned the under-floor space into a wine cellar. Jack wanted the laundry room down stairs to keep noise away from the living and had a laundry chute added in the upstairs cabinetry above for convenience.

Rubixarc’s design philosophy for this project was guided by practical, smart layout principles and a minimalist aesthetic, focusing on efficiency and connection to the surrounding landscape. The site’s orientation optimises sunlight and views; natural timber textures and careful window placements blur the boundary between inside and outside.

“The steep, sloping nature of the site, dropping approximately 5 meters from the rear to the road frontage, was pivotal in shaping the home’s design,” says Alice. “Rather than flattening the land through extensive earthworks or huge retaining walls, the solution was to create a doublestorey, split-level home that steps with the terrain. The split-level approach enhances the aesthetic, the flow and privacy zones throughout the home, while enabling optimised floor plans and functional space.”

The home is clad in Western cedar shiplap weatherboard finished in Dryden Ash, paired with board-and batten cladding in Dryden Black Teak. These materials were selected for their honest appearance, being both renewable and environmentally responsible. “Their aesthetic provides warmth and organic texture, echoing the surrounding coastal landscape while ensuring durability and low maintenance,” says Alice. The True Oak Corrugate roofing and detailed flashing on the exterior are finished in Colorsteel FlaxPod Matte.

Jack and the team at Hoult Construction worked closely with Alice’s architectural vision: “Every detail, from the curved outdoor shower to the underfloor wine cellar, was delivered with care and control, reflecting our commitment to quality craftsmanship and site-specific design.

Working with Rubixarc was really seamless and only a few fine-tuned budget driven adjustments were required. Rubixarc worked with us cohesively and we saw this as an opportunity push the envelope and learn further.”

Jack concentrated on making sure the structure could be pieced together relatively quickly, freeing up
the budget for the finishes. The high quality of finishes throughout includes Fisher and Paykel appliances, fully tiled bathrooms, Windsor Nida Graphite Nickel door hardware, Mt Peel loop pile wool carpet from Wools of New Zealand and Forté Moda Verona timber flooring.

“Straightening framing can be rather labour intensive and time consuming,” says Jack. “For this reason, we decided to pay a little bit extra and use LVL (Laminated Veneer Lumber) pre-nailed framing. The timber is incredibly straight and structurally stable.”

For the deck structure Jack opted to use a structural steel portal to increase the span and create an unobstructed turning circle in the driveway, perfect for boat parking. “We had all of the stainless deck hardware heat treated to colour off the same as the bronze copper nailing,” says Jack. “Doing the basics really well is a great way to save on costs without compromising on the aesthetic.” The decking timber is the hardwearing Kanda Watershed from Hermpac.

For Tree Town Kitchens who had worked with Hoult Construction on previous projects, the brief was for a minimal, coastal style kitchen, utilising materials that fitted with the organic theme of the home. The kitchen layout called for a designated coffee space along with a tap for instant boiling water for those quick cold winter cups of tea.

The Vidaspace Shinnoki Manhattan Oak Veneer panelling in the kitchen is pre-finished with the look and feel of natural timber. This is elegantly paired with the timber veneer rail details on the island and back wall which are a standout feature in the space.

The kitchen island features a mitred Consentino Dekton Liquid Shell benchtop. The same Manhattan Oak and Dekton carries through into the bathroom, with integrated sinks in the vanity benchtops as a focal point. Momento Blanco tiles from Tiles on Devon bring a light coastal style warmth to the backsplash with brushed brass tapware from ABI Interiors. Some of these elements have also been installed in the laundry to ensure a cohesive look. In the bathrooms Jack wanted dual mixers for the bath and showers. Momento Blanco wall tiles and large format Blanco wall and floor tiles are a soothing neutral backdrop in the bathrooms.

The window and door joinery was supplied by Origin Windows in Terapa. “Origin are very detail driven and run through everything with a fine-toothed comb,” says Jack.

The striking timber feature wall in the stairwell is made from recycled kauri boards. “These were the internal wall underlay for one of the first homes built in Raglan which was shipped down on a barge from Northland over 100 years ago,” says Jack. “These boards had old newspaper clippings on them, some of which were preserved on the timber to play into the feature adding depth of place to the home. We milled these down on site and the end result worked out beautifully. Repurposing the old is something we thoroughly enjoy.”

“Raglan has been an amazing place to set up shop, the people, community and the environment played an important part in building this home,” says Jack. “We were able to get ourselves into a positive, easy-going mindset that’s made creating a breeze. We’re really proud of the home and what we created. It’s been built to frame the view and stand up to the coast.”

Contact details:

Hoult Construction
027 625 3147
info@houltconstruction.co.nz
www.houltconstruction.co.nz