Rod and Suzie Douglas weren’t set on a specific location for the build of their new holiday home, but when they saw the site in Acacia Bay set within acres of native bush with abundant birdlife, as well as access to a beautiful part of Lake Taupo, the decision was to purchase was easy.
Having built and lived in a Lockwood home in the past, the Douglas’ approached local Lockwood Contractors, de Roo Construction, to design and build a home that fitted seamlessly into the environment. “We had built a Lockwood home previously which we loved. We love the natural timber finish inside, the interesting ceiling shapes and modern, minimalist feel,” says Suzie. The low maintenance aspect of Lockwood also appealed for their holiday home away from home.
Rod and Suzie are no strangers to building, having built four times previously. This time around, they wanted the home to be elevated and made to feel like a treehouse. “The aim was to clear the smallest possible area so the bush would be as close to the house as possible.” Says Suzie.
Suzie spent considerable time browsing the internet, books and sketching out ideas for the design of the home. In the end, they found that the Lockwood ‘Kinloch’ design with a few minor changes worked perfectly. The home has two distinct halves with the open plan living, dining and kitchen area at the front, three bedrooms and two bathrooms to the rear of the home. A split mono-pitch roofline allows for highlight windows bringing plenty of natural light into the back half of the home.
Sliding stacker doors opening onto the wrap-around deck open the home up to its natural surroundings. The living area, deck and covered outdoor space are where the family spend most of their time, Suzie says. “The living area, not surprisingly, has the excellent indoor-outdoor flow we wanted and does feel like we are in a treehouse; it gets a really nice breeze in summer with all the doors open.” Another feature they appreciate is the underfloor ducted heat pump system which keeps the home toasty in winter and can also be used to cool the house on hot nights.
Covenants in the area dictated natural colours for the exterior. The low maintenance Lockwood aluminium cladding in “Lichen” coupled with Textura black joinery fitted the brief perfectly and makes the home blend seamlessly into the surrounding bush.
The build of the home was affected by the first Covid lockdown, and the Douglas’ feared they would face significant delays during construction, but the team at de Roo Construction worked tirelessly to ensure there were minimal delays. “We were amazed how efficiently it all came together,” says Suzie, “Tim and Karen were amazing to work with. They are so organised and efficient, extremely upfront with pricing and both very approachable. We would definitely build with them again”
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