Property Showcase

High-end design optimises living

Discreetly hidden in the suburbs of Blenheim sits the most spectacularly engineered and cleverly designed property. Oozing elegance and sophistication while incorporating high-tech, smart technology, this local building project is one for the records.

Every space in Casy and Marietjie Smits home has a purpose. Designed by Riki Palatchie, of Palatchie Architecture and Design, the home needed to be cohesive, but there were specific requirements for its different areas. Inside, the home has been well planned out for entertaining, with a large, open plan kitchen and living area separated from the home’s bedrooms. While the garage makes up one wing of the home, two guest bedrooms featuring ensuites are housed in a separate wing, joined by a laundry and extra bathroom. The master bedroom, complete with large ensuite, makes up a standalone suite. The entire home has been designed to allow in as much light as possible. “We wanted to create morning sun in the kitchen while still keeping privacy from the entranceway,” Riki says. Privacy was a key consideration for the home, which is situated with one of Blenheim’s busiest roads passing by to the north. Casy and Marietjie say they wanted a warm home which would flow naturally throughout. “We wanted wide walkway access to spacious rooms [and] one of us had a dream of a super large garage that could house lots of tools and toys,” Casy says. “We also wanted a separate guest area, closed off from the master bedroom, kitchenette and office/media room for our own privacy.” With that in mind, Riki designed a home in which all of the bedrooms were situated as far from the road as possible. The kitchen was placed to the north of the property, with a formal dining room and lounge tucked behind it; with high level windows to allow

for the all-important natural light. A double-sided gas fireplace separates the lounge from a media room. A swim spa pool is housed in a courtyard at the back of the home, with general access from the media room area, as well as private access from the master suite. The pool basks in afternoon and evening sun from the west. Each guest room also has its own private outdoor space. There is a barbeque and entertaining area with an outdoor kitchen flowing on from the family dining room. It is made weatherproof with louvres and blinds, providing the ability to let the sun flood in, or keep wind and rain out, creating the perfect space for the owners to indulge one of their hobbies; hosting friends and family. “The design also cleverly caters for when we are enjoying our golden years and if circumstances arise, that we may require a live-in carer,” Casy says. “Our quarters include a kitchenette, large dressing room, wheelchair-friendly bathroom and media room which can all be closed off from the main house. Essentially we will have our own private living quarters.” Casy’s dream garage was designed with careful consideration, the final design needing to be large enough to house up to three cars and the tools and toys, while remaining easy on the eye. “It has a large garage, and that was a bit of a challenge because we also wanted to create something nice. Being that it’s so big, and it’s one of the first things you see, it’s a pretty key feature,” Riki says. “It needed to have clever lighting; we wanted to include street-facing, high-level windows above the garage doors while still keeping the privacy of the garage.” As with inside the home, Riki opted to allow light in from up high in the garage, essentially turning what would be referred to as a ‘traditional’ roof design upside down. “Internally, within the structure, we basically turned the trusses upside down to allow the light to flow in from the north,” he says. The cladding of the home is a mixture of plaster, timber and panel. It’s the second design Riki has completed for one half of the couple, the previous design being a smaller home, fit for one person. With minimal need for advertising, much of Riki’s work in the region has come from repeat business over more than 20 years in the industry, something he describes as rewarding. “You always hope you have got something right the first time,” he says. Water storage challenges on-site meant Riki had to work closely with engineers to create a clever solution for this project, however working with other experts has been a regular part of the process throughout his career. “Coming from a family in the building industry, that gives you a knowledge

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of what people expect you to provide,” Riki says. “I try to put in a lot of detail to save people money and time on site. We have a really good relationship with the builders and people we work with.” Casy and Marietjie enlisted Hamish Ryan Construction to complete their build. It is the second home the company has built for the couple, who got them on board early in the design process. Co-owner Donna Ryan says it was a privilege to work with the couple again, especially given their desire to get the space ‘just right’ for their retirement years. Special mention of the sophisticated structural engineering is needed to showcase the superior craftsmanship dedicated to this project. Fraser Thomas, a national engineering and surveying consultant, provided structural, geotechnical, and civil engineering services to the project, from their local Blenheim office. Having worked with the build team on many other architecturally designed houses, Fraser Thomas were engaged early on. They worked with the client, architect, builder, and key trades to ensure the engineering design satisfied not only the client brief, architectural design intent, and technical aspects, but also maximised constructability and material selection resulting in cost efficiencies. This team approach was maintained throughout the build and Fraser Thomas say they are very proud to have been involved in this exciting project. Casy and Marietjie had a clear vision for their home, enlisting the right help to achieve it, Donna says. “[They] knew themselves very well and the way they wanted to live. Riki has done a great job designing a home that not only looks stunning, but also caters for their needs and the way they host and entertain guests,” she says. “We were brought in to collaborate very early on during the concept plan stage and we were able to offer our knowledge and information on materials and construction methods to keep costs within the budget and work through some challenges the site faced, whilst not compromising the integrity of the design.” Despite some delays due to Covid-19 lockdowns, Casy and Marietjie were more than happy with the outcome of their home, which is exactly what they’d hoped for. It is quiet and easy to warm, featuring double glazed windows, 140mm thick exterior timber and an extra layer of insulation. A modern security system with smart home electronics enables the couple to lock up and head away on holiday at any time, and while they’re home, careful design enables them to take in the stunning views of their own backyard, itself complete with beautiful landscaping and native plants. “We do enjoy living in our new home and it’s exactly what we hoped for, meeting all our expectations and more,” Casy says. “There’s no one feature we would call a favourite.”