The owners of this Ashburton house are living it up on their lifestyle block. It’s easy when the 270sqm four-bedroom house is built to cater for everyone in the family and is bathed in sunshine. It’s also tailor-made for entertaining – sliders open the living space to hardwood decking, patios and light. What more could you want?

An expansive granite benchtop and splashback are the stars of the kitchen, which is tastefully turned out in white, black and wood tones. These hues are carried through to the butler’s pantry – a bonus feature for sure. Smart design sets this house apart.

Three cosy kids’ bedrooms have their own lounge and bathroom at one end of the house – ideal for when their friends visit or stay over. The main bedroom at the other end of the house has a tiled ensuite and walk-in wardrobe. This luxurious retreat is away from the family action and is quite the sanctuary for the parents. 

A triple garage with internal access and a laundry with stacks of storage make this house supremely practical. It’s a looker, too. Cedar teamed with pale brick makes a classic combination that will never date.

This is a whole lot of house for its price, and offers a whole lot for laid-back family living.

This brick and Linea weatherboard-clad home should come with a ‘but wait, there’s more’ explanation. It also has a stand-alone games room and guest suite with its own bathroom. Teenagers, visiting relatives and friends all have their own space. These extra rooms are excellent, but they shouldn’t take anything away from the main three-bedroom house, which is a cracking family home in its own right.

The entry leads into an open-plan living and kitchen zone with views to the street and a scullery that delivers plenty of storage and bench space. A raised ceiling in the dining-living room defines the space, which opens onto a covered patio.

A separate family room also leads to the patio, which is an ideal area for entertaining guests. Three bedrooms give the kids their own space in which to chill out, and the main bedroom has its own private patio, plus a tiled ensuite and walk-in wardrobe.

In the main bathroom you’ll find a spa bath to ease the stress of a hard day’s work. A separate laundry, study, double garage with storage and attic, plus solar panels round out what is an impressive 245sqm property.

Water-sports enthusiasts will love this luxury retreat, built around Ashburton’s Lake Hood. The entire home has been designed to make enjoying a day on the water fun and hassle-free.

The internal kitchen with large breakfast bar and spacious pantry is sure to see plenty of action – a great place to fuel up before a big day. The outdoor theme continues inside with a relaxing palette of earthy hues echoing the surrounding landscape. It’s rise and shine for active folks, as the morning sun hits the bedrooms. For those who prefer to put their feet up and relax, there’s plenty of light and warmth to be enjoyed in the open-plan living area. Feature doors open to the water, providing easy access to the jetty beyond. Separate courtyards provide shelter from easterly and northwest winds. Stunning sunsets cast a dusky glow over the second lounge and master bedroom with its ensuite and walk-in wardrobe. A bathroom with outdoor access means there’s no need to traipse through the house when you return from a busy day on the water. A third garage acts as a boat shed.

Light, luxurious and designed for laidback living, this sweet Allenton abode has it all.

The traditional weatherboard exterior allows the home to sit comfortably in its neighbourhood. High ceilings enhance the wonderful light, open feel. A large lounge with raised ceiling forms part of the spacious open-plan area. It’s a great hub for the family to connect, while also allowing everyone to pursue their own pastimes. Kitchen, dining and living flow naturally to the outdoors through glass bi-folds. Kailua decking provides a lovely platform for relaxing at the weekends or winding down with a wine after work.

The swimming pool, meanwhile, is fenced for privacy and promises to make a splash with kids. Two generous bedrooms beckon once the sun goes down. A third bedroom takes care of business as an office. Two bathrooms feature tiling in the showers and easy-clean bases, creating much more time to relax and enjoy this lovely home.

Updating a 115-year-old heritage building is a bit different to most of Dave McCrea and the team’s work – but their attention to detail and vast experience made for a great result.

The home, a stunning brick villa classed as a Heritage B building, was originally built as part of the Crums Estate in Ashburton, in 1905. As you might expect, it needed extensive renovations to bring it up to modern standards and make it useable again.

Dave and the team replaced all the internal guttering and roofing and renewed the gables, eaves, fascia, and facades. All the roofing materials and other details were chosen carefully to match the original design, so the building retained its distinctive heritage look. After a long, delicate renovation, the house is restored to its former glory – and ready to continue as a family home.

When their old building was damaged in an earthquake, charity organisation St Vincent De Paul needed a new space to run their op-shop. Dave McCrea stepped in to run the project, designing and constructing a new building – and making sure everything came in on time and under budget.

The St Vincent De Paul project was one of our largest commercial jobs apart from dairy sheds. Because it’s located in a busy retail area in central Ashburton, roads were open throughout the project, and our health and safety planning had to be on point.

Completed in 2015, the concrete panel building with steel roof includes a retail shop and storage areas for incoming goods. After a long design and construction process, the St Vincent De Paul team was thrilled with the outcome.

Lincoln University’s Agricultural Research Department includes real farm facilities – and that’s where Dave McCrea’s farm building expertise came in handy. The university needed a new dairy shed and feed pad system for their 650-strong herd, and we came in to manage the project.

The high-tech pad includes a flood wash system, silage bunker, rails for raised feed beds and a non-slip surface to make the space safer for cows – and humans. Dave and the team took care of the entire project, pouring and vibrating over 2000 square metres of concrete and installing all the other elements in place.

At the end of the project, Lincoln had a new facility custom-designed for their unique needs.

At Million Springs Farm in the Hakataramea Valley, the cows enjoy a stunning view over the valley towards the Waitaki River – and their dairy shed isn’t half bad either.

The Million Springs project was a big one, with our team designing and constructing one manager’s home and two workers’ cottages on the farm, as well as the huge 60-bale rotary dairy shed. Dave McCrea Builders managed the entire project, designing the shed to fit the geography of the site and the management of the farm, and creating attractive, practical worker accommodation. We did almost everything – concrete pouring, yard work, and all that goes into a functional dairy shed except the milking system.

The build wasn’t without challenges, with a remote location and some extreme weather. Because the project stretched over several months, Dave and the boys experienced high temperatures in summer and freezing weather in winter.

In the end, the effort was worth it, with great feedback from the owners. The cows seem happy too.

When a major earthquake hit the Kaikoura region in 2016, the destruction was extensive. One Waiau farm suffered major damage to its dairy shed, which needed to be rebuilt ASAP to get the business back on track.

Dave and the team got on board immediately, staying on-site during the week for most of the 4-month build. We had to pull down the damaged shed and start from scratch – building a 60-bale shed with all the bells and whistles as quickly as possible. One heart-warming detail: neighbouring farmers helped by milking 20-30 cows in their own sheds until the new facility was finished.

At the end of the project, the farm was fully functional again – and the Dave McCrea team moved on to another farm devastated by the quakes.