Room To Grow

Hopping straight from one new-build to another has given this family an instant upgrade and the chance to experiment with finishes.

- Debbie Harrison

Shaye and Blair Woolford didn’t have to venture far to find the perfect site to build their family home on. In 2016, on an evening stroll around their Pyes Pa, Tauranga, neighbourhood, they stumbled across a newly released section that was a step up from the one they’d just built on.

“The section was bigger and north-facing, it had a playground and reserve directly across the road and – with a growing family – it gave us the opportunity to add another living area and bedroom. It was the chance for us to upgrade, essentially,” Shaye recounts. A chat with the building company in charge of the site and the couple were sold – literally. In spring the following year, the family moved in.

DESIGN CHOICES

For Shaye and Blair, it was important to create a family home that would be relaxing and comfortable for themselves and their two boys, Hunter, 10, and George, 8. They decided on four bedrooms, two bathrooms, two living areas and a big deck for all their summer living and entertaining. The must-haves on their list were quality bathrooms and solid flooring.

“I feel like you should think carefully about those two things because they make such a difference to the feel of the home. I’m really pleased with our flooring choice. We weren’t keen on vinyl planking or tiles, but with four rooms to cover we couldn’t afford hardwood flooring,” says Shaye. “Blair’s mum is an interior designer and she suggested we opt for bamboo flooring which ‘walks’ like hardwood. At the time, bamboo was a tiny bit more than vinyl but well under the cost of hardwood flooring, and it’s a sustainable product, too.”