Good friends are hard to find but Anna Mulvaney and Tom Fleetwood have one who is right up there in the mates’ stakes. Not only did she put them in contact with the owners of their first house in Auckland (a villa they bought through private sale) but when she knew they were looking to […]
Building can be fun – or it can be stressful. Often the difference comes down to good planning. That includes getting money matters shipshape. While the subject of how to finance a build can be dry (and, in our opinion, nowhere near as exciting as discussing design features or actually seeing your home rise from […]
As an SME operating in the design and construction industry, Box™ needs to be nimble. They believe in testing the waters of interesting design-and-build ideas but are quick to pivot if the uptake or financials don’t stack up. So what has the Covid crisis taught them? Well, there’s the human side. Several Box™ clients contacted […]
Is there such a thing as the perfect site? That depends on how you look at it. While many believe a roomy, flat section is the ultimate find, Box™ designers would argue that having challenges to face actually gives them some interesting parameters to work with. Under pressure, we find the diamond. At the start […]
When it comes to building in city-fringe suburbs where villas and bungalows predominate, protecting Auckland’s architectural heritage is important. But that doesn’t mean slavishly copying the design ideas of the past. Showing respect is a given, but equally vital is to create good-looking homes that key into the wider neighbourhood without compromising lifestyle. When zoning […]
In uncertain times, people crave stability – and in the first instance, most look for it at home. Those who already have a stash of pantry staples squirreled away (and let’s face it, a couple of bottles of wine too) as per advice in the civil emergency guidelines, or who have nurtured a veggie garden […]
With rolling topography, views that stretch all the way to the Hen & Chickens Islands, and only five minutes from the spectacular Tara Iti golf course, securing a site at the Sandhills estate is like getting a hole in one. So in 2017 when Box™ was asked to conceptualise a design for a holiday escape […]
