In the home of Samantha Hayes- Stevenson and husband Sam Hayes, owners of Hayes Builders with daughter Nala and Bobbi the husky. Featuring Quick-Step Imperio engineered timber in Nougat Oak Oiled, Gibson rug in Sesame and Tibetan Lamb Hide in Oatmeal.

Inspired by the design of a humble barn, this new build in Waimauku matches the rural outlook, complementing its surroundings whilst still delivering a high spec yet inviting forever home for the young family. Built by the homeowners themselves, the workmanship and attention to detail has to be seen to be believed, with builder-owner Sam, a true craftsman of his trade. The modern barn design has been executed to perfection, not leaning too much either way, architectural or rustic. There’s something magical about 3 Cedar Barns; it could be its timeless feel or peaceful surroundings, but best described as an overwhelming feeling of ‘home’.

01 — What was your journey to building your current home?

Our first home was a relocated house that we basically gutted and fully renovated. That project put us in a position where we could begin to think about building our dream home. I grew up on a farm in Zimbabwe and Sam in Christchurch, so I think we both always wanted to have a little bit of land where our family could grow, and we could create something special.

When I found the section that we ended up building on, I knew from the moment I saw it, that it was perfect. It reminded me so much of my farm in Zimbabwe and just brought a sense of calm to our lives. We were lucky enough to be able to work with Lucy Hayes-Stevenson (Sam’s sister) as our architect to design our home. We knew that we wanted three barns but we weren’t exactly sure on the best layout and some of the design aspects. This is where Lucy was incredible and basically looked at my Pinterest, listened to our ideas and the things we loved and incorporated it all in a concept for us.

02 — What was the vision for your build?

A modern barn style home with high ceilings, lots of timber and natural elements was the aim for the design and build of our home. It was important to us that the house felt like it was part of the surroundings, so we incorporated earthy tones and natural features to create a warm and homely space.

03 — How did you come to select the flooring that you did?

I wanted something special for our home that pulled in all the different timber colours we had used; something warm and inviting. We definitely wanted timber for its authentic feel and durability, specifically engineered timber as it has all of the best elements of a solid timber floor but is stronger in its construction. With having a young family and a dog, flooring that would wear well was a priority. In a large open plan home, long and wide sized timber boards make the space feel grander, so that was definitely on the wishlist when choosing between timber floors.

04 — For those that are embarking on a build, what are your top tips?

Book a builder in early, that’s coming from my husband, the builder. Having an awesome design team to work with is incredibly helpful. Having my sister-in-law as our architect helped so much in the initial planning stages so that we had a clear vision for how rooms would look at the end. Use your architect as much as you can to really define the end goal right from the beginning. It even made the process of picking tiles and fittings for the house that little bit easier. Something else I think is super important is clear communication with your subcontractors; as much as they know how to do their job, they are not mind readers. So you need to be clear about exactly how you want the end result to look to avoid any confusion or disappointing outcomes.

05 — What aspects would you save or splurge on when building?

I think it really depends on what the end result will be; if you’re building to sell, it’s definitely easier to budget. With this home we were a bit more lenient on spending as we knew that we would be here for at least 15 years of our lives while our children grow. It’s important to have a feature piece in each room that you splurge on and then try to work within a budget for other things. When you have a clear vision it’s amazing what you can find to create something you love, that doesn’t cost the earth. Our outdoor lights were something that I wanted to be a bit different and special and I’m glad that we spent that little bit more on them and took the time to find them. We managed to save on things like the oiling of the cedar which I did myself and is not a difficult job, it just takes a long time. We are also doing all our landscaping ourselves to save some money. Our home is still not 100% done and that’s ok; because as we live in the spaces, we figure out exactly what we want in them. Plus, it gives us time to save towards something that we really want.

06 — What is your favourite room or area of your home?

It’s really hard to pick a favourite to be honest. I have so many moments when I walk past any of the bathrooms and just think “wow, I love you”. Cooking dinner in my kitchen and admiring the view of our living room makes my heart feel at peace. It’s all a bit surreal. But it lets me know I made all the right decisions when I picked things for our home because we loved them, and not because it was what was in style.

07 — Do you have any other spaces left to complete and any ideas for what you want to do with them?

We have a few (a builder’s home is never finished) with the main spaces on the to-do list being the office, kids lounge, guest room and walk in robe. But we have big plans for a pool house eventually and a shed for my husband to have as an office.

Credits

Who: Samantha Hayes-Stevenson
Where: Waimauku, Auckland
Instagram: @3cedarbarns
Photographer: Olivia Pitcher