Group homes are increasingly popular in New Zealand and often feature in the Registered Master Builders ‘House of the Year’ awards.

This sleek, single storey dwelling in Palmerston North demonstrates the capabilities of one of the major groups and won the Supreme Award for the Manawatu/Wanganui Region.

The homeowners said that the house plan was perfect for the site but needed enlarging by about 50% to make full use of the land area. Certain other adaptations were also made, including the incorporation of a wraparound verandah to cater for outside recreation and dining.

Opening on to the entertainment areas are First Residential sliding doors in stacking formats (Multisliders), which allow two-thirds opening. To ensure as much light entry as possible despite the wide soffits, three banks of overhead glazing are inserted in the roof above the decks using First overhead glazing bars. One of these windows is strategically placed over a spa pool to allow a view of stars through the winter steam.

One striking feature of the home is a Plasma entrance door in Orange X15 powdercoat. Plasma doors in flat sheet aluminium offer a clean smooth architectural look and are capable of dual colour to match interior and exterior colour schemes. In this case the orange colour is used on the inside as well to complement orange elements in prints and furnishings.

The windows and doors are mainly powder coated in Silver Pearl. This is a popular choice as it offers a neutral colour that preserves flexibility for interior and exterior colour schemes.