When Kirstin and Matt Castle were designing their new home in Whitianga on the Coromandel Peninsula, they concentrated on what was best for themselves and their two young sons. Pleasing the judges in the Registered Master Builders House of the Year competition was the last thing on their mind. But please them they did. They won the gold award in the Placemakers New Home $450,000 – $550,000 category.

The Castle’s new house sits on a large, sunny, flat 4,035m site in Whitianga township. The site was completely bare when they purchased it in 2016 and HAMR homes took just six months to complete the project.

This is a home that ticks all the boxes on a homeowner’s wish list. As Kirstin said, “We wanted this to be a home that had some of the elements of the traditional Kiwi bach and all the comforts of a modern home.”

It’s easy maintenance too. The exterior cladding is bevel-back cedar weatherboards coated with Resene Woodsman Tiri Stain. The roof is corrugated iron with Flaxpod powder coating and the Marley Stratus Design Series Typhoon spouting and RP80 downpipes are all hardwearing uPVC which won’t rust, so are perfect for the coastal location.

“We got lucky with the spouting. Marley released their Stratus Design Series in black midway through the build so we had time to change to it. It’s the perfect match for our colour scheme.”

There is no doubt that dark exteriors are very popular right now, however, the team at Marley love the way the Castles have gone for white (Resene Half Merino) soffit and posts to offset the moody cladding and black Marley spouting and downpipes. 

The half round Typhoon spouting profile frames the house with a modern look, and the external brackets give some added detail, while also making it easier to clean the spouting out.

The most surprising thing about the Castle’s new home is the fact that it’s not really their home in the long term. It’s just stage one. In time, as the family grows a new house will be built on site and the current house will become the guest house/boat shed. So, watch this space for House of the Year 2020.