Seamless connection between land and water

Big, bold and beautiful; she’s an impressive sight sitting directly ashore of the Whangaparoa marina. The strong lines of her boat house design seamlessly blending with the moored boats, yet holding her own strong, majestic presence on the waterway. This beauty picked up Silver at the 2018 Master Builder House of the Year awards in the CARTERS New Home $1 - 2 million category.

We worked closely with Richard Furze Architectural Design to create a strong connection with the water for passionate boaties Sam and Mary, who have owned boats all their lives. As builders there were a lot of technical and architectural details in the planning in order to create a maritime feel. At 311sqm its not a small house and so a huge number of steel beams were used inside to create a large span with lots of open space.

To bring the outside in, lots of tall glass windows and glass decking were used to maximise the canal outlook and let plenty of light in. We’re proud to say Maddren are known for traditional craftsmanship and fine detailing. And this was really tested in blending the cedar wood cladding of the garage door in with the exterior cedar panels of the house. This took a lot of time and skill to integrate the two and it was important to the client that the roadside view of the house and garage was also beautiful and carried through the boat house look.

The result of all these details is a seamless connection between land and water, and with time as mother nature fades the cedar wood, she’ll have a lovely weathered look reminiscent of an old boat shed.