Energy-Efficient Homes Services

“I have worked with John on an extensive home renovation. He is a great architect to work with and I am pleased to being doing another project with him. He has a wonderful collaborative and inclusive approach, which means the clients and professionals working on the project all feel valued.”

“Great Job! Absolutely love my renovation. Joe came to the table with some brilliant ideas and really made my house a home. Would totally recommend him to everyone”

“We had designed our first new home ourselves, but second time around it wasn’t so easy. We had a basic concept in mind, but couldn’t bring it all together and “make it fit”. We chose Mike for two reasons, firstly he’d been recommended by a friend to check him out and we loved the look of his previous designs, and secondly because he’d completed a builder’s apprenticeship. It was important to us that our architect also had practical building knowledge. Mike came back to us with a design that incorporated all the things that we had asked for, but also added some quirky features and design elements that we would never have come up with on our own. He visited us on site, and was always respectful of our preferences and worked hard to pull the whole design together. We would definitely recommend him to others who are looking for a professional, considerate, and innovative architect.”

“Kate's used her professional's knowledge and experience in renovating small spaces to create a kitchen plan that makes the best use of space, is functional and looks great. The Concept design plan was innovative, beautiful and created elements that I hadn't previously considered. I'm looking forward to working with Kate to compete the renovation.”

“Lynda is our architect on the renovation and extension of our Auckland villa. She was recommended to us by our builder and, having worked with a number of architects in the past, has exceeded all of our expectations to date. She is extremely efficient, replying to every email and query in record time; takes all of our (many!) ideas on board, while also pushing back when necessary. Bringing her significant experience to the table she has produced a final design that beautifully tackles our challenging site, complements our existing house while also introducing a forward thinking modern new extension, and has done so within our budget.”

“Jessop Architects designed a unique passive home allowing for maximum heat retention through thoughtful design and specification of materials, excellent ventillation and clever orientation to sun angles. The position of house is in a low lying bush area that was both beautiful in its native bush setting, yet predisposed to shade and damp. So taking advantage of sun was essential. The landscape design maximised the architectural passive design by thinning existing trees , reducing bulk and canopy to allow more filtered light to fall on living areas. This increased light to the home and to lower understory planting so that a greater variety of low growing species could be planted close to the deck areas. The planting was all eco sourced natives which would naturally grow in the area yet an artistic element was introduced with mass planting to create a more dramatic landscape result. The house was originally built for Tim Grocer othe New Zealand Trade Minister who was very supportive of the creation of a sustainable landscape to combine with the passive home, incorporating mini wetlands and the introduction of some rare native plants to reinforce his committment to the local environment. To that end, bird attracting plant species were specified, which brought in Tui , Wood Pidgeon and a variety of smaller birds foraging right up the the extensive deck areas. The decks designed by Jessop wrap thoughtfully around the northwest with a heated area and a feeling of accessibility to the bush environment. It was great to combine talents with Jessop Architects and be involved in a successful and unique building project.”

“We had an amazing experience working with Nala Studio Architects for the design and building consent of our new home. They were friendly, attentive, and really took the time to understand our needs and preferences. The end result is a beautiful and functional home design that we absolutely love. We would highly recommend Noor and Nala Studio Architects to anyone looking for a residential architect in New Zealand. Their attention to detail, creativity, and expertise made the entire process stress-free and enjoyable. Thank you, for helping to create our dream home!”

“Four Walls Architecture designed a large contemporary home for us on a site situated in Westmere, Auckland. They carried out the conceptual design work, assisted with the resource consent application and completed the detailed design and building consent application. Our brief was quite specific in regards to the general look we were trying to achieve, the size and layout of the home, the use of low maintenance materials and a high degree of energy efficiency. The design process was a very pleasant experience and Four Walls was always open to discussing any ideas or opinions we had and incorporating them into the design accordingly. The home is currently being built and it is great seeing how the ideas are being transformed from plans and computer models to a physical form. The way it is turning out has exceeded our expectations in a number of ways and it is truly turning out to be our dream home! Four Walls has continued to be very helpful and provide assistance to both us and the builder in a timely manner during the building process. I have already recommended them to another family member who is using them for an extensive renovation in Herne Bay and would certainly not hesitate recommending them to anyone else, or to use them again.”

“We enjoyed working with Duncan from Solarei. He actually listened to what we wanted for our project and he came up with detailed plans that met our needs and reflected the coastal environment in which we live. He managed the project through the complex regulations of our local government body and obtained all necessary consents and approvals. If future developments require any architectural input, they will be referred without hesitation to Solarei. Wade and Sue Rowsell, Kerikeri, New Zealand”

“Daniel is a visionary. Each of his buildings has it's own unique identity. He positioned our property perfectly on the existing piece of land and kept to our brief that the house appear to meld into its surroundings and yet be on a grand scale. One of our key requests was for a large garage to accommodate our cars, but we didn't want a face a large bank of garage doors as we drove into our home. Our architect designed the doors around a courtyard, cleverly disguising them so that they are seemingly part of a wall. He also listened to our requests and accommodated them where he could within the restrictions of our land and height to boundary. He was able to convince us that where the ceilings were not as high on the top floor as we originally wanted them to be, this would not be a problem as he had created a "floating" roof. He also helped us with the interior decoration of the home, providing suggestions on colours of walls and flooring. He worked with me on an idea I had for a double height bookshelf, which has become a focal point in the lounge. He even "created" a wonderful wax paneled wall in the dining room that is a unique work of art. There were some miscommunications, mainly centered around the kitchen and the wardrobes that I had very specific ideas about. If I were to start all over again, I would probably consider using a kitchen designer to work with me on my requirements. At the end of the day, however, I am happy with the end result, just not quite the trauma of getting there. The result is a home that fulfills all our needs and more, and is a pleasure to live in and I would highly recommend this firm and it's architects to anyone.”