Sarah and Andrew McTaggart had very clear ideas about what they wanted from their new home build. It had to make the most of their stunning Akatarawa section and support their varied interests and lifestyle pursuits. Perhaps most importantly, the build itself needed to be extremely high quality – the couple own a high precision manufacturing company and they know quality when they see it.
“We were going to settle for nothing but the best,” says Andrew.
They got a fair way down the track with another volume-build company, but an early morning phone call with Hayden Rau from Sentinel Homes Wellington/Kapiti changed all that.
“From the get-go, Sentinel was great to deal with. Both Sarah and I work in sales so reading people is one of our strengths. It was very clear Hayden and his team were straight shooters and not looking to get one over on us,” explains Andrew.
While Sentinel Homes brought all the same reassurance and transparency of a large build company they also offered the design flexibility that the McTaggarts required. Sarah, a singer, needed a ‘toy room’ where she could store her gear and have band practices. This was designed into the floor plan, away from the living areas. The keen entertainers also had a specific idea of how their living spaces should flow, with a built-in bar that flows on to the outdoor area.
“It was more than important that we designed and built the home of our dreams – this is to be our forever house,” says Andrew. “We wanted a home that was going to be pretty special and great for entertaining. We wanted a bit of us to shine through.”
The couple achieved that with amazing details peppered throughout the home. Their large shower features slides on either end, LED strips welcome people at the front door and polished concrete flooring flows out on to Kwila decking.
When Andrew says the couple are exacting, he wasn’t joking. From the framing down to the last light switch, Andrew and Sarah’s eagle eyes missed nothing – but they were blown away by the standard. He thinks they hit the jackpot as far as quality is concerned.
“I actually can't fault it and that is saying something,” enthuses Andrew. “The house is just amazing. A builder friend of mine walked into the house and said, ‘Dude, I simply can't fault this house. You have a fantastic home, well done.’”
Andrew says the Sentinel team went out of their way to keep lines of communication open, put the McTaggarts first and tackled everything with a can-do attitude.
“Sentinel was always looking to support us and build us the house we wanted. It’s all about trust, support and quality – pretty cool attributes that this company has.”
Andrew says he knew there would be some challenges along the way, but hadn’t expected the Sentinel team to work so hard to overcome them.
“You won't build a 315-square-meter custom home and not have issues, but it was all about dealing with and resolving the challenges. Sentinel did an amazing job of this. Hayden was tops at calming Sarah and me down when we were stressing. He took us through the process, always kept his promises and went over and above to meet our needs.”
A self-proclaimed ‘fussy bugger’, Andrew is over the moon at the results and thinks everyone should be building with Sentinel.
“What a house we have – we are stoked. We know the standard of product they produce and that we would be treated fairly and not get ripped off, clearly a big one for everyone.”
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