We're often asked how we're different from other house building companies and I largely addressed most of the technical aspects in this blog post.

We have a different view of houses and what constitutes quality of space, which largely comes from the Modernist post-war movement of the fifties and sixties, inspired by developers such as Joseph Eichler and architects like Craig Ellwood and Richard Neutra, to name just a couple (more to come in another post about Box heritage). 

What we love about this style was that often the post and beam structure (timber or steel) which lent itself to large open plan layouts, large glazed areas and beautifully light and well laid-out plans. The honesty of material is noticeable, with the use of steel, timber laminated beams, concrete, timber linings, brick. Lines are elegant and simple. In one word, sophistication.

We would love to develop communities of houses, like Eichler, where it was well known for owners to put a pink flamingo on their lawn at cocktail time. Any of the locals could pop in for a quick drink and chat and the flamingo was an open invitation! Eichler looked beyond the house and how planning could foster that element of 'community'.

Similar to the architectural heritage, we pay a lot of attention to the client's brief and the site, we don't just shoe-horn boxes into any old site. You are spending a lot of money on a house you intend to spend a lot of time in so it is important that it is right - the devil is always in the detail.

And finally, nowadays we pay a lot more attention to the build process as well as the house specifications from an environmental point of view. Again, this will be discussed in more detail later but our selection of materials and the 'modular' aspect of the homes means less waste, faster and more efficient build and lower running costs for the future.

All this aside, the design and build experience is a lot of fun and I think we'll have to bring back the Pink Flamingo....