Hunter Gatherer

A nose for a good deal combined with DIY skills has given this couple’s New Plymouth new-build plenty of soul — without breaking the bank

- Sharon Stephenson

If there were a crown for New Zealand’s Best Bargain Hunter, it would belong on Jane Murray’s head. Not only is this stay-at-home mum an expert at upcycling and recycling, she’s also got a knack for finding super-stylish items on sale.

It’s a skill that came in handy when Jane and husband Marc built their house in Whalers Gate, a new subdivision in New Plymouth.

“When you’re on a limited budget, you have to get clever about doing things,” says Jane.

The couple are no strangers to renovation, having previously done up a villa in Dunedin (where Jane is from) and a 1980s house in New Plymouth after Marc’s work in the oil industry led them to move to the city in 2013.

But they’ve always had a hankering to build their own home, so when this section became available in 2016, they jumped at the chance to purchase it and build their dream.

THE PLAN

There were only a few things on the Murrays’ wishlist: their house had to be a black barn, a style Jane has long admired, have easy-care concrete floors and include a partial dividing wall in the kitchen/living space to allow for separate zones.

“We also wanted three bedrooms but were open to the layout. We worked with the building company to come up with an L-shaped design which groups the bedrooms on the west side and the cooking and living areas towards the front of the 183-square-metre house,” says Jane.