Classic Chats

Meet Michelle

"Looking back now I had no idea. I had no idea how it was going to work and come together. So going down the path of a Design & Build with Classic Builders was perfect for me.”

Having lived in her 1960s weatherboard home for 12 years, taking the leap and designing a home from scratch was a bit scary for Michelle.

Enlisting the team at Classic Builders to bring her dream home to life was a no-brainer as Classic Builders had been a long-time sponsor of the squash club where Michelle served as President. She knew a few members of the team, so it was an easy decision.

Michelle went down the Design & Build path to her new home as she was very clear that she wanted something unique, on a piece of land with a view, somewhere that felt welcoming, and a place to host whanau and friends.

'Black' was the theme of the build, more on that shortly.

The Plan & Process

"I knew that I could give the brief, give the design, and they would make it happen. I had trust in the process right from the beginning."

Walking into the office to meet with Errol, one of the local Building Consultants and squash members, with plans in hand and a vision in mind, Michelle was keen to see her dream home become a reality. 

"I had lots of ideas and when I saw the concept come together I loved it and not much changed since then. The brief was black painted cladding, black joinery, black kitchen, black spouting and I was hoping it was going to come together as I had planned - and they nailed it."

"Classic Builders has very clear milestones that we take our Clients through.

Michelle had a clear idea of what she was after so we had a really good foundation to start with. The next step was understanding Michelle, and what she wanted in her house.” noted Errol.

The Land

A large part of Classic Builders upfront process is understanding the land - the serviceability, sun and slope along with how the Client lives.

“Understanding the site is an important first step of the Classic Builders process. This is a differently zoned area, it’s not like building in town. There is no power, no water, no septic system, so all of that had to be accounted for.”

"I love the piece of land this home is on, I wanted the section and the house to work in together. By bringing the timber inside kept the natural feel. The kitchen, living area and bedroom open to outside creating a seamless indoor/outdoor flow."

The Experience

"The Building Consultant, Designers, and Construction Manager were an integral part of the process and they just made it happen! Along the way they provided suggestions and it was so easy I just went with their lead.

The overall experience was so simple. I would build again in a heartbeat and do exactly the same thing. My advice to anyone wanting to build with Classic Builders is go with the flow, relax, take it easy, it’s honestly a dream.”