Anita Yahya and Lane Sanger have worked in real estate on the Hibiscus Coast for many years and they have now built a family home on their favourite local property on the stunning Ōrewa Estuary.
Choosing the company for the build-only contract to bring their architectural design to life was difficult due to the complications of the site, and their desire for a fixed price. A chance visit to a show home in nearby Milldale introduced the first-time home builders to Generation Homes and its fixed price promise and guaranteed delivery date. They were assured Generation could build anything, so they placed their confidence in the team.
During construction, the couple had a bird’s eye of the progress as they rented a place next door! Their business is Raine & Horne Ōrewa and they have worked in real estate in the Ōrewa area since 2009. “We marketed and sold the property to the previous owners in 2013 and it’s always been Anita’s favourite among all the places we have sold,” Lane says.
“I really love it because of the position. I like the estuary there. The location is beautiful,” Anita says.
When it came back on the market during the Covid pandemic in 2020 through another agency, they took the opportunity to bid and won the place at auction. The property was not in the best condition when they bought it and their plan was to rebuild a family home to share with their two adult sons. To say it was a complex site is to play down the intricacies of the build – poor soil meant there were geotechnical requirements for 80 six-metre-deep piles.
Here is their story about building their forever home. “I never want to move,” Anita says.
ANITA
The property was one of those 1990s plaster homes. It was leaking and we always had the intention to rebuild to suit our needs, wanting to be close to the water to paddleboard and kayak and use the local cycleway. We loved the location by the estuary with water views and couldn’t imagine living elsewhere.
ANITA
It took us three years to go ahead because of the escalating construction costs. We were building for the first time and had heard of bad experiences from people who had built before, so we were cautious. We interviewed 2-3 building companies, and no-one could give us a fixed price at that time, and that was scary. We almost gave up and were ready to sell and buy an existing home.
Then we met Norman Markgraaff (New Home Sales Consultant) at the Generation Homes show home. He convinced us they could build anything with a fixed price and timeline. They could guarantee that. So, that’s why we went with Generation Homes.
ANITA
The guarantee for a fixed price and move in date were attractive. We had thought they were specialists in design-build homes, so while we had heard of them, we had not considered them to build our place as we knew we wanted a high-spec finish.
Then they showed us an example of what they have done before, and we were confident they could do ours if we clearly specified what we wanted.
LANE
As a real estate agent, we’ve seen Generation around the area a fair bit, around Millwater, Milldale and Ōrewa. We knew they built houses, but certainly we had to be convinced that they could build anything, especially as our section wasn’t straightforward. We needed substantial piling and some building companies wouldn’t touch a site like that.
ANITA
It was quite challenging because the section is in the flood zone and the Council needed extra resource consents and building requirements.
ANITA
It was a pleasant experience right from the start, from the moment we met Norman at their show home during a casual drive in the neighbourhood looking at houses. The process was smooth and the team is capable and professional.
The Generation quantity surveyor at that time gave us costs in a very short period. That was very good. We had had the experience with another company of waiting weeks and weeks for costs. Then, if you want to tweak something, you had to wait another few more weeks.
The Generation team worked with us and it was easy to get in touch with them. They were open to suggestions and changes until we were satisfied to give the go-ahead for the building consent.
ANITA
Yes, we did. They delivered what they promised. And we watched like a hawk because we rented a house next door! Everything went very smoothly.
LANE
To meet the council requirements, the piling had to go in a minimum of six metres – 80 piles. Watching all the timber being driven in was quite fascinating.
ANITA
Professional and they delivered what they promised.
LANE
One of the key things Generation had, which we didn’t know until after we had signed up, was very good systems. Within a month of the demolition starting on the existing house, in about September 2023, they came out with a weekly timeline of everything that was going to be done and when it was going to be done.
From that perspective, to move in on 10 May 2024 was a huge credit to the Generation team. Just like in our business, if the communication is not very good, it can be quite a difficult process. But we found it very easy with Generation. We could always talk to the project manager or directly to Managing Director Peter Suckling straight away when we had any questions right throughout the whole process – before, during or after. That was very powerful.
ANITA
I have no doubt that they can build more beautiful homes. I know they can build anything, no matter how palatial.
ANITA
We had a conceptual plan drawn by an architect friend before we met Generation Homes. They then took over and improvised through the team at LTD Architects to further suit our budget and needs. It’s a medium-sized, three-bedroom home with two bathrooms and a guest toilet. We have one living area and quite a large media room. The kitchen, family, dining area is open plan, and then we have a large deck, because we love to entertain.
LANE
Every morning when we wake up and open the blinds, we can see the estuary at different stages of the tide. So that’s great.
ANITA
We get beautiful sunsets.
ANITA
The house is light and bright. I love the media room where movie night is every night – almost! I love the generously-sized scullery. It’s where I do most of my cooking, with seamless indoor-outdoor flow to the deck. Unlike many sculleries, it feels open and connected, not isolated from the rest of the home.
LANE
My favourite would definitely be the media room, because we’ve made it into a mini home theatre with an 87-inch TV screen. It’s our way to wind down and relax.
ANITA:
We all love watching movies, so it’s quite important for us to have a good room for that, with a good sound system. We sound proofed the room so it’s not disturbing the neighbours.
LANE
The deck is another favourite. The total deck space is about 60 square metres and it’s all covered.
ANITA
Being on the flat of Ōrewa. Our family love to bike and with the direct access to the Ōrewa walkway and cycleway it was so convenient. We can launch our kayaks and paddleboards right from the doorstep. Also, we work locally and it’s only five minutes’ drive to work.
ANITA
We fell in love right away. It’s not a big home but it feels spacious because of the wide entrance and looking straight to the wide ranch-slider to the water views.
LANE
It is special because it is something we wanted for ourselves. We looked at what we needed and some of what we would love to have. I think we found, overall, a very good blend of that.
I think the key feature, for me, is the spaciousness. When we first open the front door, you can look straight through, past the dining, past the kitchen and open plan living, and past the deck, and you can see the estuary. That was a big attraction for us.
I can’t wait to get home, to sit down, relax and watch the world go by.
ANITA
Firstly, set a budget and list down what’s important to have. Then finalise everything before it goes to council for building consent and stick to it. I also advise having some spare budget for nice to haves. We spent extra on landscaping, kitchen upgrades and fittings.
