HOW SENTINEL HOMES WAIKATO HELPED
THREE GENERATIONS BUILD THEIR FOREVER HOME
Nicole and Kurt’s journey
to building their “forever
home” was a bit unusual. They
weren’t thinking of moving, let alone building, until Nicole’s parents came to stay while they
hunted for their next property.
The arrangement worked
perfectly. Having Grandma and Grandpa downstairs made family life so much
easier for Nicole and Kurt, who both work full-time and have two busy kids aged
five and two. Nicole’s
parents also enjoyed having more incidental contact with their grandkids. The
two households hatched a plan to pool their resources and find a home that
would suit them long-term.
TIME TO BUILD, NOT BUY
Waikato’s exploding
property market had other ideas. As Nicole says, there didn’t seem to be
anything they liked within their budget.
“We were looking at paying 900K for
something we’d still need to do work on,”she says.
Building seemed like a
smart idea – for not too much extra,
the family would get exactly what they wanted.
SENTINEL HOMES A
NO-BRAINER
Nicole says they did
their research, but working with Sentinel Homes was a no-brainer.
“They just stuck out as being better
quality,” she explains. “We also loved the look of Sentinel
Homes’ pre-designed plans and
found one that was perfect for us. They all had the modern look we liked and
with their reputation, Sentinel looked really appealing.”
That first impression was
confirmed when they got in touch with Nate Alley, Managing Director of Sentinel Homes Waikato.
“He’s a friend of a friend, and my
friend spoke highly of Nate. He’s a really good guy and you can tell he wants
what’s best for you even if
that makes things harder for him.”
TRANSPARENCY AND FIXED
PRICES GAVE REASSURANCE
Nate’s enthusiasm and
Sentinel Homes’ systems and processes
helped make the planning and building phases far simpler than Nicole expected.
“It was very daunting at first, but
having those fixed prices with everything all written out was very reassuring,”she explains.
Nate guided the couple
through every stage, from preliminary pricing to arranging geo-tech and
stormwater reports for their new Ohaupo Road property. His no-surprises policy
meant that the family ended up coming in under budget by $6000 in the usually
tricky groundworks phase.
“He was upfront about everything. He
put in a good PC sum, so we didn’t get 50K worth of surprises coming up. He
wanted to make sure we’d
allowed for everything.”
FLEXIBILITY AND CUSTOMISATION
The home seemed
ready-made for the two households, with two entirely separate dwellings.
Sentinel Homes’flexibility meant both
households could decorate and spec their spaces as they wished.
“We have very different styles,” laughs Nicole. “We left each other to it – the interior design is very
different in both homes and Sentinel were accommodating to anything we wanted.”
The two dwellings, one
with four bedrooms and the other with two, are separated by a firewall, so one
can be rented as a self-contained flat in the future.
In the larger home,
Nicole and Kurt added raked ceilings, upgraded fixtures and a media room, but
the base design was already close to perfect.
“There’s a seven-metre sliding door,
which was part of their design. It goes out to the view – we can just step out into the
countryside. We’re very stoked with that. Their normal specs are already so
good – the upgrades were more
to suit our style.”
A SNAG-FREE BUILD
When COVID-19 meant that
a shipment of flooring was unexpectedly delayed, Nate fell back on Sentinel’s strong supplier relationships to
find replacements –
and covered the difference in cost. It meant the family can move in before
Christmas – two months earlier than expected.
When asked, they can’t even remember any snags in the building process.
“If there were little things, it was
never an issue. They would always ring to let us know and then they’d get it
done,” says Nicole.
She puts that excellent
track record down to good communication and updates throughout, with a
foundation of personal attention.
“When we first started building, we
were introduced to the whole team –
they’re not too big that you’re just an address. Everyone knew us and we feel
like we’ve built friendships,”
she says.
BUILD WITH SENTINEL
While Nicole started the
process with trepidation, she’s now enthusiastic about building – especially if it’s with Sentinel.
“It’s a good way to go. In this
market, houses are going for crazy prices, but you can build what you actually
what for not too much extra, and to do it with Sentinel is great. They actually
care. They want you to have a good experience.”
If you’re considering
buying the home to suit you, get in touch with Sentinel Homes on 0800 456 321
for a free, no-pressure meeting.
