If you’ve taken a trip down Hamilton’s River Road this year, you may have spotted our brand new showhome. In fact with such a stunning design and some striking street appeal it’s pretty hard to go past without wanting to take a peek inside!
So we went to take a look around for ourselves and have a chat with Nate Alley, the owner of Sentinel Homes Waikato, about the motivation behind the build, what they wanted to achieve, and his favourite parts of this exceptional home.
When the chance to create a brand new showhome in Hamilton came up, Nate and the Waikato team jumped at the chance to show off their skills and highlight what they knew their customers would want to see.
“This show home was heaps of fun for us because we've built over 300 homes and we really felt like we got the opportunity to pull together all our favorite parts of a lot of those homes,” Nate explains. “We've used everything we've learned over 10 years in building and put it into one home, from design, specifications, and product selections, right through to our team building it to the highest quality.”
But Nate and team didn’t want to just make a big home with every feature imaginable. Real thought and care went into making this showhome feel more like a real home. “People can get carried away with show homes by going bigger, better, everything top of the line. It was really important for us that we built a nice home that was still attainable for most people,” says Nate. “This home is not outside of the realms of possibility for most people that we build homes for, so it's really about showing people how you can do design well, so that you get the best bang for your buck.”
The result is an exceptional home split over two levels with four bedrooms, three bathrooms, two formal living areas, a double garage and lots of outdoor living. “It's far from a cookie cutter,” Nate says. “Every room, every detail has been thought through - and it definitely has wow factor.”
As Nate explains, with the new showhome the team wanted to redefine what people could expect from a small piece of land. “We started with a smallish site of around 470 square metres, so we really wanted to show how to get a lot of house in a small space and how to maximise bang for your buck, and do it at a really high level.” The team achieved this goal through clever use of design and architecture tricks to add size and make the best use of space. “We've added some design elements that make spaces feel bigger without the need to throw heaps of money at it,” Nate says. “Pillar-less internal corners that open right up to make the living area feel twice the size, a raked ceiling through the center of the home, integrated appliances that make the kitchen look really clean and seamless. We’ve even built the downstairs bathroom behind a secret door!”
The result is an entertainer's dream in a house that still feels like a cosy family home. “It’s a house that's really built for people who love to have people over,” explains Nate. “We've had over 60 people in here at once and it didn't feel cramped at all, and that's a lot of people to have in a home at any one time.”
It was important for Nate and the team to be able to give people who visit the new showhome the opportunity to take a look at the variety of options that are available when you choose to design and build with the Sentinel team.
“With it being a showhome, we obviously want to show people what they can do and so we've done different things in different rooms,” he explains. “For example we’ve showcased something different in each of the bedrooms. One is a completely standard bedroom, another bedroom has a beautiful window seat, which is something that you can easily add to any bedroom, and in another one we've got a walk-in wardrobe and study nook desk. It just shows people that for an extra two square meters you can do this to your bedroom to completely change it.”
The team hopes that this starts a conversation with visitors about what’s achievable with their space and within their budget. “If you come to the showhome and go, man, I just love X, Y, and Z part of this house, we can easily incorporate those things into a single level design at half the size, or a three level design at triple the size,” explains Nate. “We can incorporate any of these different design elements so that this style of home can work for any site, any family, any sort of setup that you've got going.”
As Nate tells us, the reaction to the showhome so far has been overwhelming. “The general reaction from people when they first walk in the door is that they look up the stairs, there's a raking ceiling, there's skylights, and they’re just like ‘whoa, this is cool’. People love the main bedroom and the en suite, they love the outdoor area, they love the media room. There's actually something in this house to suit everyone.”
As for Nate’s favourite part of the home, he says it’s pretty hard to choose. “My favorite thing? I love the outdoor kitchen, I love it so much. But I love everything about the place though.
Nate’s advice is that if you’re looking for any kind of inspiration, then pop down to take a look and have a chat with the team. “If people are looking to build, not sort of sure which way they want to go, and they want somewhere to start to really light the fire, this place is perfect for it. It’s a really good example of what we do every day.”
Take a look at our showhomes near you or contact our team to arrange a personal showhome tour. Our expert consultants are ready to answer your questions and guide you through the exciting process of creating your perfect home.
Let’s get together for a free, no-pressure meeting with one of our team, at your place or ours.
We can't wait to hear your ideas!
