Renovation appreciation: Urbane Construction
It’s a big win with the very first entry for local company Urbane Construction in the Registered Master Builders House of the Year Regional Finals. The judges awarded Gold for the sympathetic extension to an existing home.
Director Tom Aiken says this build was special for its use of four species of timber which tie the addition to the original home.
“The design of the extension is in complete harmony with the original home, but it brings an extra openness and warmth,” he says.
Built in the late 1980s, the Eyreton home was designed by the owner’s father. The extension by Vernon White creates a seamless transition from new to old by using similar design features: raking ceilings, rimu windows and trims, balau decking, rusticated weatherboards and reuse of original bricks. The result is a home at one with its setting within parklands cultivated by the owners over 30 years.
Tom’s favourite features are the solid timber beech flooring that runs from the new extension through the altered kitchen and dining room areas, into the new wet/tack room as well as the cladding in rusticated weatherboards which were custom run in New Zealand Larch.
Every project brings challenges; access to the site and the weather during excavations required Tom’s careful management, with consideration for the owners who lived on site for the duration of the build.
Future projects are just as exciting with extension projects in St Albans and on the Port Hills, a full reclad and repair in Cashmere as well as several smaller projects throughout Canterbury.
“We specialise in extensions and large renovations where design and execution is critical,” says Tom. “But we also build unique, architecturally designed homes throughout the region.”
Every project receives Urbane Construction’s customised communication with the clients. “All of our clients are special to us and we make sure that their new home or renovation project exceeds their expectations in both quality and delivery.”
