Posts by Box

If you’ve never built before, it can be a daunting commitment. If you want the experience to be a positive one, here are some questions to ask upfront before you choose to enter the design-and-build relationship. 1. At a high level, how does your overall process – from commencement to completion of work – operate?…

The Principle of the Architect Builder“The backbone of the process of production we envisage is a new kind of professional who takes responsibility for the functions which we now attribute to the architect, and also, for the functions which we now attribute to the builder.He is responsible for the detailed designs of the houses, and…

Fill your house with stacks of books, in all the crannies and all the nooks, beseeched Dr Seuss. Here are some rather more stylish ways to store the printed word. It’s a wrap Books and media go together like birds of a feather and so shelving in a TV den is a great match. Not…

The Money and The Box™ Mortgage adviser John Schumacher of Loan Market in Kingsland shares his insights into what to think about when applying for, and signing up to, a home loan on a design-and-build project.  No surprises The quality of the company you are dealing with is vitally important to the bank. Are they…

Enclosure Bay 27a Great Barrier Road https://www.kellands.co.nz/property/view/property-for-sale-auckland-city-enclosure-bay-great-barrier-road The collaboration of Box™ and our creative owners has resulted in the most amazing home with world class sea views over the bay, across to the Noises and out to the islands of the Gulf. The very first Box™ home on Waiheke Island, this sparkling gem is nestled…

When it comes to home design, hero rooms such as the kitchen or outdoor entertainment area, tend to steal the limelight. But we think the quiet achievers deserve some acknowledgement too. Your average wardrobe is, well, not so average. Dig a little deeper and you’ll quickly realise that, when it comes to planning, ratio wise…

We asked four Box™ team members to highlight some memorable style-setting and pragmatic design details of homes they’ve worked on. Secrets and surprises Ensuring a building is weathertight is an important part of the role for architectural technician Conor O’Brien, who has been draughting up Box™ homes on the computer for three years now. As…

Record-setting statistics, a suburb in a circle and a new boutique hotel that could become a habit What’s caught our attention: Although Kiwis traditionally hanker after a stand-alone home on their own patch of dirt, the pendulum is swinging towards medium-density solutions and, particularly in our biggest city, residents can’t help but notice how many…

We’ve said it all along: when you combine a design-and-build crew under one roof, you achieve better results for clients. But although these two disciplines have existed side by side for eons, they have traditionally operated as separate businesses, so surely when they are integrated there are challenges? How does this actually work in the…

Robyn and Leighton Langley felt conflicting emotions as they stood road-side on a wet and somewhat blustery day and watched a gigantic mechanical arm lift their bedroom pod up and over a specimen pohutukawa to its place on their section. On the one hand they felt very excited; on the other, it was the most…

It’s a familiar story: when youngsters enter the picture, the excitement of the big-city dream tends to pale. Childhood memories of beaches, open space and a more relaxed pace suddenly become irresistible. Expat Luisa Andrew and her Scottish husband Stephen Dewar were living with three young children in a Hong Kong terrace house when they…

If Box™ co-founder Dan Heyworth could wave a magic wand to solve the big issues facing the design-and-build industry, what would he do? In this interview with Ryan Castle from Master Builders, Dan looks for answers. Q: Box™ bucked the traditional model by combining an architecture practice and construction company under one roof. Has it…

Unless you were a local, you’d never know that behind the street façade of this home, is a leafy-and-lovely view of Grey Lynn park. Admittedly it looks a little different to its colonial-era neighbours. The site is long and skinny (think 40 metres x 11.7 metres wide), but also steep. That might seem tricky for…

Design manager Tony Borland-Lye discusses his favourite Auckland building   As an architecture student at Auckland University, when Tony Borland-Lye headed off on food-finding missions between lectures, he usually took the scenic route through Albert Park, before dropping down into the laneways and alleys that run between High and O’Connell Streets. Then, as now, this…

https://youtu.be/nb9GBxr5J9c Dan Heyworth, one of the Box founders, discusses the approach Box™ takes when building a new home and how we address the difficult question of cost in a highly complex process.

A cluster of cabbage trees stretching into the sky, against a backdrop of islands and ocean, is an iconic indicator that locates this property immediately in New Zealand. The Cordyline australis that grow here are well-loved because the owners of this spectacular site are not only nurturers of nature but keen gardeners too. When they…

Box™ Design and BuiltFor Sale – 12a Helen Place St Heliers Auction 12th AugustOpen Homes. | Saturday 1st August 1-1:30pm, Sunday 2nd August 1-1:30pmPaul Neshausen MBA. | Barfoot & ThompsonMOBILE 021 345 887 Packed with inspired details that make everyday living more enjoyable, this spacious brand new 4-bedroom home is a chic modern hideaway in a super-quiet, super-safe…

How we tackle a problematic site Is there such a thing as the perfect site? That depends on how you look at it. While many believe a roomy, flat section is the ultimate find, Box™ designers would argue that having challenges to face actually gives them some interesting parameters to work with. Under pressure, we…

Dan talks about how lockdown has changed the way we think about home. Check out the full article in the New Zealand Herald Magazine – Viva – https://www.viva.co.nz/article/at-home/Home-Where-I-Want-to-Be/

Box™ advocates incorporating a splash of rainbow attitude into your new build or renovation Black is not back Any colour as long as it’s black. While that is a broad-brush statement, this does seem to be the motto of architects everywhere – you see it in their clothes and in their cars so little wonder…