Wanting to be closer to their grandchildren led Dint and Margie Rice to partner with us to build their new home.
After 36 years of marriage, the Rices wanted to be able to settle into retirement in comfort and move into the same Auckland rural town, Riverhead, as their son.
Both English teachers, Margie now retired and Dint semi-retired, wanted a single-storey, customised house that was well built with quality materials and well within their budget. They didn’t believe that they would be able to afford to build, but with encouragement from their son, they were able to achieve their goal and are thrilled by the result.
The Rice’s architecturally designed, 152-square-metre home includes three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a walk-in-wardrobe, single garage, and separate laundry.
DINT
Our son and his family live in Riverhead, and we would visit them so often, we grew to like the community feel. There are trees everywhere and grassy hills surrounding the town, we just found that so appealing. Also as we are getting on in life, the lovely flat walks are great.
MARGIE
I look after our little grandson three days a week and so it made sense to be closer. The people are so welcoming and I just felt comfortable here too.
DINT
We were involved with another building company but the subdivision was taking forever and we just got impatient. One day we drove past this area and saw some smaller sections for sale and we just popped in to the Generation Homes to have a look. We are not usually risk takers, and we were already committed to another company, but the very next day we had signed up with Generation Homes. Then we had the problem of trying to extricate ourselves from the other deal. It was a painful process, but worth it in the end, as we got our lovely new house with Generation Homes.
MARGIE
The Generation Homes team were very welcoming to us. The other company we were set to build with sent us a card saying that building is always a rollercoaster ride, and that made our hearts sink. When we came to Generation Homes we changed the metaphor and it became plain sailing, not a rollercoaster.
DINT
It has been a lifelong dream to have input into a home and build my own. I didn’t think I would ever be able to afford it. The thought of a brand new home is always appealing.
MARGIE
Our son had just built recently and he gave us so much advice. He encouraged us quite a lot and has been so supportive. The design process was such fun and just so easy. The Generation Homes team have been so kind.
DINT
Greys basically, pale grey. The kitchen is white and pale grey. We were a bit worried it would look bland, but it looks clean and fresh and we are quite happy with it. Outside is a slightly darker pale grey, matched with a dark roof and white joinery.
MARGIE
We did make one error of judgement, we went for really dark carpets. While they do look very smart, we have to vacuum them a lot due to the cat fur. Also one of our cats has black fur, so we keep falling over her!
MARGIE
Our grandchildren did impact certain decisions. We picked to have curved walls instead of straight walls, and we have a wooden floor where the children sit so we can quickly clean it up if they spill or drop anything. We added in a self-cleaning oven because I use it a great deal - we have a roast at least once a week. Dint loves his gardening, so we made sure that the garden was manageable, and not too large.
DINT
Generation Homes did some of the landscaping for us, which was really good. We have painted our fence black and hung up a couple of plants. I have put some garden beds in and am planning to put a raised vegetable garden in the back. We have planted quite a few shrubs and have had a couple of pebble-and-paver paths built, and we have one more to come. I really enjoy gardening, so it’s nice to have some control of the landscape design and plans.
DINT
There are quite a few things. We love the openness of the living area, it has large windows and sliding doors. We love the hallway believe it or not, because it has a window at the end of it that lets in light and it is slightly wider than a conventional hallway. It makes it feel as if the whole house is larger than it really is.
MARGIE
I now have a huge kitchen island and I am just crazy about it, I’ve never had a kitchen island before. We have stools around it so the grandchildren can sit there and we can all bake together.
DINT
You mustn’t be afraid to take risks. Also if something is troubling you, you need to communicate that.
MARGIE
You need to know that you have to make sacrifices. We love travelling and we have done far less of it since we knew that we were going to have a new home. We would rather have a new home and know that we were safe and secure.
MARGIE
Yes!
DINT
Most definitely. We have had guests come and visit us, and they have all commented on the fact that the workmanship is very good and that it is well finished. A quality build.