heritage homestead

After much discussion the colours were selected by Trinity Design in consultation with the new owners.

The front of the building has large multi-paned windows, deck balustrading and columns and it was clear that with the right colours, these could be a feature. With the previous cream on cream colour scheme, the just blended into the background.

The front door was accented by painting it in Resene Lustacryl in Resene Dark Knight and flanking it with potted green plants either side of the door. This colour beautifully complements the weatherboards in Resene Double Concrete. It also connects to the gate at the bottom of the front veranda steps, also painted in Resene Dark Night, which creates a visual line from the front of the property to the door.

One side of the buildings was an unpainted concrete wall and visually dull. This wall was freshly rendered and then topcoated with Resene X-200 acrylic weathertight membrane in Resene Double Concrete. The new rear extension has a pergola in Resene Lumbersider in Resene Alabaster and it helps to brighten, freshen and define the rear courtyard area.

The inspiration for the colour scheme was to give the building a totally new look, something brighter and less conservative than the usual creams and whites that are so often the norm for these older buildings.

The colours are inspired by a Cape Cod type colour scheme adapted to fit in with the Devonport heritage area. Cape Cod colour schemes usually have one solid colour on the weatherboards and base of the house, and sometimes quite bright colours are used such as bright blues, yellows and greens. The windows, trims, balusters and colours of these buildings are usually in white.

This is essentially what was chosen for this exterior repaint. Rather than a bright colour choice for the weatherboards and base, Resene Double Concrete an urban grey with a very fresh appearance was chosen. The accent colour chosen for the window and door joinery, the columns and balusters was in Resene Alabaster using Resene Lustacryl and Resene Sonyx 101. Resene Alabaster is a near white with a light blackened edge and it creates a sharp, crisp contrast to the Resene Double Concrete weatherboards. The concrete base was painted in Resene Lumbersider in Resene Concrete to complement with the rest of the palette.

The colour scheme fits perfectly with the style of this heritage building and the surrounding houses but still stands out as an example of what a well-chosen colour scheme can achieve.

This house is across the road from the waterfront, so Resene Sonyx 101 semi-gloss exterior was chosen for its toughness, durability and adhesion and flowing good look. It is easy to clean and this is especially important for a house so close to the sea.

Resene Lustacryl was chosen for the joinery, windows and doors as it is a hardwearing waterborne enamel that is non-yellowing and dries fast. The newly rendered wall was given a coat of Resene Limelock prior to two topcoats of Resene X-200 weathertight membrane in Resene Double Concrete.

The challenge was the tight time frame to complete the project and having to work around multiple trades at the same time to meet the deadline for the project. The whole project was done remotely with the client based overseas and only able to visit twice during the design and construction phase of the project.

Architectural specifier: Fraser Gillies
Building contractor: Derek Armstrong, North Shore Construction
Interior designer: Trinity Design
Painting contractor: John Bisset
Project: Resene Total Colour Awards 2019