This Is How We Build Homes
Marsden Homes opened the doors to their new Whangārei show home in late February. It sits at One Tree Point, and it is well worth the drive.

This home was designed for real life, not just for display. A striking example of what is possible — but not a special version of how they build. The insulation levels, the detailing, the waterproofing, the acoustic treatment — all of it is how they build for their clients. Above the New Zealand Building Code, because that's their standard. Often, that’s a claim a lot of builders make. At Marsden Homes, this new show home is where you can go check for yourself. ‍

Designed Around a Life
The brief for this home started with a picture in their head. The design had to sit comfortably within its surroundings but feel equally at home on a canal front section in Marsden Cove. The homeowner could be a professional couple with a young family, enjoying busy mornings and relaxed evenings.

So the kitchen, dining and side deck fills with the morning sun. The living spaces open toward outdoor entertaining areas for the afternoon or relaxed family gatherings. The fire with its efficient ambient heat becomes the focal point in the evening. There is a dedicated media room which doubles as an office, a private bedroom wing and a covered deck for when the weather turns.

But the design goes further. It’s a home that works just as well for a retired couple. Wide doorways. Big level entry showers and easy-to-open sliding doors that seamlessly flow from bedrooms to living to the outdoors. These are not afterthoughts, they were considered and designed from the start.

The result is a single-level home that feels light, spacious and effortless to move around in. One that will keep working for whoever lives in it, at whatever stage of life they are at. ‍

The Moment You Walk In
The first thing you notice is the space.

Raked ceilings lift the main living area and master suite creating volume without wasting space. Skylights draw light in from above. Long sightlines carry you through the home from the moment you step inside. It feels open without feeling empty, and architectural without feeling cold.
The inspiration came from Queenstown — steep rooflines, strong gables, clean timber detailing. But this is not an alpine home transplanted north. It has been adapted for canal-front or coastal living. Stand for a moment, and you can picture it with water behind it, just as easily as mountains.  

The colour palette follows the same logic. Driftwood tones, soft greys with light and dark timber. Colours that belong to the coast. In the evenings, the lighting shifts to something warmer — softer, like filtered forest light.

‍Chosen for More Than How They Look
The JSC Amba thermally modified timber — finished in Scrumble Frost — was selected because thermal modification stabilises the timber. It moves less, resists moisture better, and holds up in coastal conditions over the long term. The Scrumble Frost coating enhances the grain and brings warmth to the home without overpowering the façade.
Alongside it, James Hardie Oblique Weatherboard is installed vertically in a random mix of wide and narrow boards — creating texture and movement across the exterior that gives the home an architectural rhythm rather than a repetitive pattern.

The glazing specification tells you a lot about how Marsden Homes thinks long-term. Double-glazed, argon gas-filled, Low-E coated, grey-tinted, thermally broken aluminium frames. Combined with R7 ceiling insulation and R2.6 wall insulation — both above the New Zealand Building Code minimum — ensure the home stays comfortable year-round. ‍

The Details Worth Noticing
Some of the best features in this home are easy to walk past.
The VELUX skylights are solar-powered, have blackout blinds, open automatically for ventilation, and close when it rains. In summer, warm air rises into the raked ceiling space and escapes through the open skylights. This cools the home naturally without relying on mechanical ventilation systems.

The bathrooms are fully waterproofed wet rooms with waterstops. The Metro Ezyclean shower glass reduces water spotting and mineral buildup, and the Newtech ventilated toilets draw air directly from the bowl — high-end details that improve everyday living.

The hot water cylinder is in the roof. Out of sight, but worth knowing about. It's more energy-efficient and frees up storage space inside the home. In summer, the heat in the roof means the system has less work to do, and in winter, adding an insulation wrap keeps heat in. It may be a small detail, but one that makes practical sense over the life of the home.

And then there are the finish details — the negative shadow lines, the acoustic panel lining in the media room, the natural stone mosaic feature walls in the bathroom, ensuite and laundry. The moments where you stop and realise the care and consideration that has gone into every decision. ‍

Worth the Drive
True luxury, in this home, is not the porcelain benchtops, curved island or the feature walls — though all that's there (and more).
It is a home that’s light and spacious, and architecturally refined — but offers all the modern comforts of a family home. One that feels quiet when the wind picks up outside. That flows effortlessly from room to room. One that you’ll still be glad you built in fifteen years' time.

That is what Marsden Homes set out to build. Come and walk through it for yourself.

104 Stace Hopper Drive, One Tree Point
Tuesday-Friday 9am-3pm
Saturday 11am-2pm

David Chapman
0212584160
David@marsdenhomes.co.nz