When Breenhomes was contracted to build six Housing Trust houses in the Hikuwai subdivision, the brief was for attractive,warm, low maintenance homes.
A Queenstown Lakes Community Housing Trust (QLCHT) initiative, these Wanaka homes are built well above building code regulations – with a reduced footprint, but to a high-quality standard.
Client Liaison Manager, Cara Woods, said wider wall frames (140mm instead of 90mm) allow for a higher level of insulation, and they also come complete with a ducted heating and ventilation system.
“With all our housing trust builds we want these homes to be warmer, healthier and easier to live in”, she said.
A mixture of 2-, 3- and 4-bedroom houses have been constructed for QLCHT in the Hikuwai subdivision, and Breenhomes embraces the ‘healthy homes’ ethos.
Aotea Electric Cromwell Air Conditioning Manager, Darryl Mckissock, said fresh air is vital to our quality of life and wellbeing, and even more so with building regulations demanding greater airtightness of buildings.
“Integrating the Daikin Vam heat recovery system with its ducted heat pump reduces the heating/cooling load of the system, in turn increasing efficiency and at the same time providing balanced humidity and clean healthy air to the home.”
The QLCHT homes are also landscaped with driveways and lawns, and finished with macrocarpa pergolas, making them a stand-out feature within the subdivision, and internally fitted with modern drapes,blinds and appliances.
The kitchens feature Bestwood Melamine kitchen joinery, Laminex laminate bench tops and Fisher and Paykel whiteware.
“We wanted the homes to look attractive from the street with the facades featuring schist and cedar,” Cara said.
The 39ha Hikuwai subdivision was developed in2016, neighbouring Northlake, and the majority of sections were purchased by first homeowners, with views over the Hikuwai Reserve, towards the confluence of the Clutha River.
The six sections were transferred to QLCHT by the developer, Exclusive Developments Ltd, as part of its obligation when the land was rezoned from rural to residential.
This process, known as inclusionary zoning, enables a small portion of the value uplift created through the up zoning of land, to be shared with the community for the purposes of housing.
Breenhomes has been working with the QLCHT since 2014 and has created a range of designs for many of its community housing projects – “where possible we try and reuse these for all the developments.”
Project Manager Steve Fahey said the efficiencies in building multiple houses at once and using the same subcontractors, meant everyone involved was engaged with the process, and understood the outcomes being achieved.
Julie Scott of the QLCHT said there are more Trust homes still to be built at Hikuwai in the future, with four of the existing houses sold under its leasehold programme (Secure Home), and the remaining two have been retained as long-term rentals.
Project manager: Steve Fahey
Client liaison: Cara Woods
Site Foreman: Steve Lester
Builders: Angus Ryder, Ash Sorrensen, Vienna Kupa, Blair Tweed
Lawncare Foreman: Phil Studholme
Written By: Aimee Wilson – Miss Wordsmith
# Hikuwai Reserve
# Hikuwai subdivision
# Inclusionary zoning
# Community housing
