When it came to building a home for the first time, Rachel Shellis knew exactly what she wanted down to the last colour swatch.
“This is my haven. I’ve always loved being a homebody, but this home is special,” Rachel says of the place she moved into in June 2026 at Papamoa Beach in the Bay of Plenty.
Her parents had such an excellent experience building with Generation Homes that Rachel didn’t consider any other building company for her own home.
Rachel’s palette for her sanctuary runs in soft shades from white through to black, lifted with a subtle green accent called sage coming through in her backsplash, dining chairs and soon-to-arrive curtains.
Many of Rachel’s ideas had been years in the making through previous renovations of homes she has owned and observations. She had a clear sense of what she loved.
A feature she’d admired in one of her parents’ homes – underfloor heating in the bathroom – went straight onto her own wish list.
She added small, practical touches like a heated mirror and a fly screen for the sliding door so she could leave the doors open in the summer.
That clarity made the design process remarkably fast. Rachel worked through her colour and material selections with the Generation Homes team in just an hour or two – so decisively, in fact, that her consultant told her it was the easiest appointment she’d ever run.
“I just knew what I wanted,” Rachel says.
Throughout her 18-week build, Rachel made a point of visiting the site regularly, photographing the journey from empty section right through to finished home.
Being able to see the process unfold, rather than simply waiting for the keys, made her feel genuinely part of building her own home and it’s an experience she describes, without hesitation, as an absolute dream from start to finish.
RACHEL
I did look at existing houses, but there was always something I wanted to change – something that wasn’t quite right. I realised I’d end up spending so much on renovations that it would come out around the same price as building my own home and getting exactly what I wanted, the way I wanted it.
RACHEL
My mum and dad had a house built with Generation Homes at least 13 years ago, and they did such a fantastic job that I didn’t look anywhere else – I just wanted Generation to build mine, too.
RACHEL
It was really my parents’ experience that led me there, but what also appealed to me was that it was all taken out of my hands in a good way – I had the say and the choice, but everything was organised for me.
The fixed price was important. I wish price didn’t matter, but it’s just me here, it’s just one income. I was on a budget; I knew the maximum that I could go to.
RACHEL
It was a dream – Generation was so easy to work with. I’ve been so excited all the way along.
They told me it would take 18 weeks, and it did, to the day. They were open to me visiting the site any time I wanted to see how things were progressing, which was really important to me.
The 18 weeks went very quickly. Knowing the completion date was handy as I could arrange things to arrive and organise things to move out of the small flat I was staying in at my mum’s house.
RACHEL
Absolutely. I’d seen the finishings on my parents’ house and a couple of other Generation homes from the outside and everything was just perfect. When I saw my own house built, the finishings were just lovely – that was important to me.
When I came and saw the final home, even though I had seen it regularly throughout the build, I thought ‘this is massive for what I was expecting’. It’s just a normal home, it’s lovely, but to me this is my bit of heaven.
RACHEL
They really listened to everything I asked for – the additional extras were all done, no problems. The end result turned out better than I was expecting. They were punctual, worked hard and exceeded my expectations. I would absolutely build with them again. I’ve recommended them to everyone I know and my friend is now considering building with them too.
The only thing that wasn’t quite right was that some of the bricks on the outside of the house had bigger white patches than I’d expected from the brick sample. I said I was happy to compromise if they just replaced the worst examples and within a couple of weeks it was done – no complaints, no problem at all. That experience actually made me trust them even more.
RACHEL
The section came with a two-bedroom home plan and I loved it – it was perfect for me. The only changes I made were extending the kitchen and the master bedroom, which was no problem at all for Generation to do. The plan really was everything I wanted.
RACHEL
I love the kitchen and lounge as one big open space – it’s the heart of the home, even though I’m not a big cook!
I also added underfloor heating in the bathroom and a heated mirror. Underfloor heating was something Mum and Dad had in their home that I’d never had myself. As soon as I decided to build, I knew that was going in for me, too. I’d also never had a heated mirror. The reason I have that is because it used to annoy me when the mirror steamed up so I thought it would be nice if I ever built a home, I’d have that put in.
I added a fly screen on the lounge sliding door so I can leave the doors open in the summer and some extra power sockets in the rooms. Little things I’d always wanted but never had before.
RACHEL
I wanted to be close to my mum and I loved the Papamoa area. When Darren from Generation Homes first brought me to see the section in the Manawa subdivision, I had a really good feeling about it – and I’ve had that same feeling every time I’ve been here since. It just feels safe, calm and quiet. It’s a one-way road, still developing, but there are already a dozen or so other Generation homes in the neighbourhood, with more sections to come. It’s private and doesn’t feel crowded at all – it feels open and peaceful.
RACHEL
I was flying that day – I was so excited I couldn’t sit still and I hadn’t slept the night before. My mum helped me move everything in and even though moving is normally stressful, it was a fantastic day. This was my home and it was all done and ready.
RACHEL
I’ve changed a lot over the last few years – I never used to save, but now I do, with a goal in mind for a few years ahead. I save as much as I can while still having a life, as you never know what is around the corner.
Building on one wage is hard, but it’s doable if you put your mind to it.
It is important to know where you’re going cost-wise. So, whenever I asked for any extras, I asked for a quote first, just to make sure I was still under budget. It came out a little bit under the price I was expecting, so that’s good.
