It is great to see one of our Early Childcare Centres thinking about the safety of our children by installing one of our Louvre Roof Systems for shelter from the sun and rain. We are sure the kids will enjoy being able to use that space more!

We are beyond thrilled with the outcome of the Registered Master Builders House of the Year Awards. Our showhome was both a Lifestyle Award Winner and won a Silver Award in the PlaceMakers New Home $450,000 - $550,000 category. We are also excited to have been a supplier to the Sentinel Homes Hamilton showhome which was a Local Category Award Winner and won an amazing Gold Award in the GIB Show Home category.

Today we find out how our show home has fared in the Registered Master Builders House of the Years Awards. We would like to take this opportunity to thank Sentinel Homes and our suppliers: Fisher & Paykel, Forma Furniture, Coombes & Gabbie Lighting Design, LED Stuff, Line and Design and Living Flame Ltd.

Sentinel Homes directors Nate Alley and Del Hart relax on the deck of their entry in the Registered Master Builders 2017 House of the Year competition. Source: MIKE BAIN/FAIRFAX NZ

Nervously standing in the kitchen of a Cambridge house two Hamilton building company directors wait for the knock on the door.
​
An earlier phone call from Clive Barrington, judge for the  Registered Master Builders 2017 House of the Year competition advising  Nate Alley and Del Hart from Sentinel Homes he was running late, added to their stress.

The Cambridge house was the company's entry into the PlaceMakers New Home $450,000 - $550,000 category in the competition.

"This is our first entry in the House of the Year competition and I'm not too sure what to expect from the judges when they arrive," said Alley.

Remaining confident he talked about the design of the home which featured a spacious contemporary look for its owners.

"Things were were really proud of are the two features in the house, the kitchen and the fire place which exudes warmth as soon as you walk through the door, said Alley. 

With all the living area centralised around the fire, kitchen, dining, and lounge area with good flow through either into the remainder of the house or onto the deck with a fireplace and a louvre roof to maximise sun or shade.

Putting nervousness to one side the owners, who wish to remain anonymous, were pleased with their home and felt the company had listened to what it was they wanted from their build.

But it was the judges who had to be impressed as the House of the Year judge Clive Barrington arrived and revealed the criteria the entry is judged on.

"Out of 100 points 65 percent is for workmanship, after all its about the builder, and the rest of the judging criteria is about design style and functionality," said Barrington. 

Barrington didn't reveal how he judged the home so Alley and Hart will have to await the judges decision when the Waiakto region finalists are announced on July 14.

They will then go onto be judged to find New Zealands House of the Year.
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Registered Master Builders Association chief executive David Kelly said this year's competition involved 370 homes nationwide and had evolved to reflect the changing market and the types of homes that are now a part of our landscape.

 - Stuff

​When we started creating the kitchen for our new NZ Louvres showhome in Cambridge, our goal was to create an entertainer’s dream. After all, who doesn’t want a kitchen that enables them to host amazing dinner parties, where the spectacular food is only topped by the incredible wine selection? We certainly do! And, boy, did Fisher & Paykel come to the party!
First up in that equation was finding the right fridge. We wanted one that not only has excellent capacity but that keeps our various items fresher for longer, minimising the number of soggy vegetables likely to be found down the back three weeks later! Enter the next generation in Fisher & Paykel refrigeration – our 900mm ActiveSmart French Door fridge. With new flush-fit design and the ability to be integrated behind our kitchen cabinetry, this family-size refrigerator offers a seamless look while keeping everything crisp and fresh with ActiveSmart Foodcare.
​You know those ads where someone bites into a piece of watermelon and the noise it makes is the highlight? They are not exaggerating. The technology in this fridge allows you to change the settings on your vegetable drawers according to what you’re storing, ensuring the right level of moisture for optimum crunch! While we’ve opted for beautiful, matching cabinetry fronts, as seen below, you can also order it with matte stainless steel doors (pictured above). 

​Would you like a glass of perfectly chilled wine with that? Sauvignon blanc or pinot gris? When it comes to dream kitchens, it wouldn’t be complete without a wine cabinet.
Fisher & Paykel Wine Cabinets combine sophisticated and practical design with optimal storage and display solutions.
This cabinet offers perfect temperature control, as any wine-lover will tell you white and red wine require different temperatures for ideal storage. It has dual zones that can be easily set between 5°C and 20°C using the touch control panel, which also controls the LED lighting and de-mist functions.

​And finally, dishes. If you’re going to host large dinner parties, doing the dishes by hand is definitely not an option. But we also wanted the ability to put smaller loads on, for better water and power efficiency, which is why we chose a Double DishDrawer.
It has been conveniently positioned at bench height so loading and unloading requires minimal bending.
Each drawer holds a true half-load for guilt-free small washes and fast turnaround. Each drawer operates independently so different wash cycles can operate simultaneously to accommodate a variety of loads, perfect for that mix of pots and pans and glassware at the end of a delicious meal. 

​We are absolutely thrilled with our Fisher & Paykel appliances. It’s great to know we’re not only supporting a valued New Zealand company, but we’re also getting leading technology and high quality goods. Be sure to click through to check out their range for your next project.

When deciding on appliances for our new showhome choosing Fisher & Paykel was a no-brainer. As New Zealand’s most trusted whitegoods brand, the team at Fisher & Paykel has spent years refining their products to perfection.
Because we’ve ended up selecting so many beautiful appliances, we’re going to highlight them in two separate blog posts – there’s just too many to share in one!
 
To start with, we’ve chosen two 11 Function Pyrolytic Built-in Ovens. Built for performance, with ActiveVent technology and an intuitive control system, these amazing ovens allow precise cooking mode selection across 11 different functions. The generous 90L gross capacity fits 30 per cent more than traditional European ovens, perfect for big family meals. Not only that, but this model offers a pyrolytic self-cleaning function – dream come true! Finished in black reflective glass with polished metal trim, the sleek lines and design detail match the rest of the Fisher & Paykel kitchen appliance family. Pictured below are our two 11 function ovens, side by side, which creates better ergonomics with each oven placed at a height where the contents are easy to reach and visible without bending.

Complementing our two ovens is a 5 Zone Touch & Slide Induction Cooktop. If you’ve never cooked on induction, you have to try it. It’s a whole new world of heat control and safety! You see, traditionally people cook by generating heat from one source, such as a flame, and conducting it to another.
The Fisher & Paykel Induction Cooktops work on a different principle. The cooktop itself produces electromagnetic vibrations, which induce the (copper-bottomed or cast iron) pot or pan to generate its own heat. If you're not sure if your pots will work on induction, simply pop a magnet on the bottom. If it sticks, you're good to go on induction!
Then you can expect shorter heat-up times, greater precision and a safer cooking surface. You can actually wipe down your cooking surface straight after removing the pot without burning yourself! (Which is also perfect if your pets/children have a habit of accidentally turning on the elements, as they don’t heat up until a pot or pan is on the surface.)
​The sleek design of this induction cooktop perfectly complements the minimalist modern kitchen in our showhome.

And finally, what kitchen would be complete without a proper extraction system. After all, no-one wants to damage their freshly painted walls with excess moisture in your home!  Our Fisher & Paykel Built-in Integrated Rangehood extractors are designed to be fitted into kitchen cabinetry and hidden from view.
​We love the almost invisible profile, giving you all the benefits of proper extraction without the rangehood’s profile taking over the visual elements of the kitchen space. They allow for a streamlined aesthetic, are easy to install and efficiently remove steam, smoke and lingering odours.

Stay tuned as we reveal the other Fisher & Paykel appliances we've installed in our showhome - including a gorgeous wine fridge!

This week Sentinel Homes opens a new showhome in The Meadows, Hamilton, which is not only packed to the brim with great design elements, but also features NZ Louvres.

The four-bedroom, 255m2 family home has two living areas and a double garage. With wooden timber floors throughout, a separate media room and plenty of storage, this home offers everything a modern Kiwi family could want.
It has a family bathroom, with a separate toilet, as well as a full ensuite off the master bedroom, so you're not tripping over the kids' bath toys on your way to the shower! There's also a window seat in the kids' bedroom and a feature entrance.
This home also has a great indoor/outdoor area, complete with an NZ Louvres system, to ensure great quality of life regardless of the weather.
NZ Louvres has experienced the high-quality finishes and cutting-edge building techniques used by Sentinel Homes when building our NZ Louvres showhome and have no doubt the finish will be the same quality in this showhome.
Sentinel Homes also offers a 10 year Master Builders' guarantee and a 12 month maintenance period (the industry standard is a mere three months), giving you complete peace of mind when you choose to build with Sentinel Homes.
So whether you're after a House + Land package, or a Design + Build service, get in touch with Sentinel Homes or pop in to their new showhome in The Meadows (or elsewhere around the country) to have a chat to one of their experienced team. You won't regret it.

The Meadows showhome opens to the public for the first time on Saturday, October 29, from noon till 4pm. It is located at 2 Helen June Ave (corner of Cumberland Dr and Helen June Ave, off Roy Hilton Drive), The Meadows, Flagstaff, Hamilton. ​

When we were looking for a builder for the NZ Louvres showhome we approached many companies to explain what we were trying to achieve. Sentinel Homes understood our vision straight away and we knew it would be the perfect company to help us build our ideal showhome.

Sentinel Homes is genuinely committed to creating high-quality homes for modern families. Their building standards are thorough and constantly adapting and they always provide outstanding design skills and craftsmanship.

They pride themselves on their reputation as cutting-edge home builders, which is exactly what we have experienced.

Sentinel Homes Waikato Managing Director Nate Alley says the team has worked hard to meet all our expectations.

"The house is going to be beautiful," he says, "from driving up the road and seeing the 35-degree pitch roof, then the stack-bonded block cladding and raking entry, it's a striking home.

"Once you enter, onto a polished concrete floor, you're greeted by a three-sided cantilevered glass fireplace, then a state-of-the-art kitchen which leads out to (obviously) NZ Louvres!" 

We chose all those features and Sentinel Homes worked with us every step of the way to incorporate everything we want in our showhome. Nate says they've worked hard to achieve the highest quality finishes for us.

"In particular - features such as the polished concrete floor and the cantilevered fireplace require real attention to detail and we've taken a lot of care with these. I'm 100 per cent confident that the finished product is going to be second-to-none," Nate says.

"The guy who polished the floor has completed four other floors in Cambridge in the past month and he told me the finish he was able to achieve was easily the best due to the care that we took in every stage of the floor construction, as well as protecting the floor during the framing and roof construction," he says.  

Not only that, but our block-layer also told us he loves working with Sentinel Homes "because they're open to doing things differently". 

This is exactly why we chose to build with them - because we know our showhome is going to be high spec and high quality and because the team were open to all our crazy ideas!

A selection of Sentinel Homes builds. The quality of the high spec projects across their portfolio was evident and had us SOLD!