The conversation generally goes something like this:

"Hi, I'm just looking at some options to build and can you tell me what your cost per square metre is?"
"Erm.. well we don't really work to a cost per square metre, for a three bedroom house you'd be starting at $250k..."
(Silence) "That sounds expensive... I thought modular was meant to be cheaper?"
"Well yes, you get better value for money throughout the process, but the cost per square metre is still more than a house company, less than a bespoke architectural home..."
"OK, thanks" (we never hear from them again).

We will be producing a nicely formatted super-duper pdf in due course but here are some reasons why BOX is simply better (and why we can't do and don't want to do super-cheap).


Doors and windows
are all full height (2.4m), floor to ceiling. This is part of our look, but lets in more light, more ventilation and creates a more pleasant space to be in. Compare this to pretty much anyone else where doors are 2.0m is the standard (maybe 2.2m at a push).

Details
It's the small things like flush thresholds and our 'latchless' doors, low-profile skirting that we love. The devil is in the detail...
We have our signatures like 'pop-ins' and 'pop-outs' which allow things like window seats and cool features. I know we're called 'BOX' but we do go a bit crazy from time to time.

Boutique
- that's us, small and cuddly and extra personable. I don't think any other company will give you the time and attention to detail. That's because we come from an architectural and design background. You get the architect process without the cost. You get the bespoke and personal service from us you won't get with any other company. We love our houses and we want you too to tu 2  (?)

Apples for bananas
We often don't do garages. Strange one this but most of our clients want carports or single garages (or no garage). Which makes a lot of sense for reasons I won't discuss here. But it does mean that the cost per square metre of our houses increase (garages are cheap to build). Since our houses are generally smaller and better designed, there is less of an economy of scale. We could make them larger and the cost per sqm would go down. If you're looking for size over everything, we're probably not for you. If you like good design, well built and detailed homes then give us a call.

Design
OK, probably done this to death but the structures look great, have full height joinery, they're modernist, efficient internally, have some interesting design features like you don't see gutters or downpipes, yet are highly customisable.

Kitchens, bathrooms, lighting
These are all designed by us and our in-house architect for all budgets. We don't subcontract to some cheap kitchen place. We want the design to be good value, to work, to last. We also think there are other materials than MDF to make things out of. We specify Appliances like SMEG or Baumatic. Not the unbranded cheap stuff. It's fair to say that our standard kitchen and bathroom specs are way better.

Internal cabinets and doors
are all full height too. No dust traps, no bulkheads, no wasted space. Just elegant lines.

Quality
of materials is paramount. We use engineered timber beams and posts. We use Rigid Air Barrier instead of building paper. We use Strandboard instead of particle board... but to name a few.

Warm roof
Our BOX Classic homes are built with European-style warm roofs. What this means is that the insulation is on the outside, not the inside. What THIS means is that there will never be any damp or condensation in your roof and there are no thermal bridges created by rafters. A warm roof is simply that.

Lighting
Our lighting plans are designed by us. We don't do one light in the centre of the room or grids of lighting. Light is there to create drama and atmosphere and enhance the living space. We group lights, we use a lot more fittings than any other company would. And they are energy efficient. We believe that good lighting really improves the enjoyment of the space.

Environment
Our background through Arhaus is very conscious of environmental impact. That's why we think modular is the way forward - less waste, more efficient. We use timber a much as we can because it's really suitable to our environment in NZ (no steel). We are well versed in solar water heating, solar power, water collection and reticulation, wastewater treatment, greywater re-use. We can advise and design as appropriate. We don't use stupid materials imported from the ends of the earth. Right here, right now is how we like to do it.

We make it work
As many clients would attest, we make it work. Budgets are always tight and dreams are...expansive. It's always challenging to make the twain meet, but if you are prepared to work with us we'll do our damned hardest to make it work for you.


Hopefully this explains the differences between us and everyone else. Apart from the fact that the houses look very unique, we're different in the way we go about our business. Tired with the current cookie-cutter style and process? Give us a go...