A dream new home build
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A dream new home build

Planning with Clipsal to create the dream home

Christchurch couple Ben and Quinn are no strangers to building and renovating — they’ve worked on and lived in 10 different houses over the last 10 years.

But their most recent passion project was their own new family home. The two‑storey, light‑filled modern build overlooks a park in a new Christchurch subdivision and combines family living with a stylish aesthetic.

With a north‑facing garden, a playground next door and close to a school and shops, the section was the perfect canvas for Ben and Quinn to create their future home.

When it came to the build, experience had taught them that one of the first trades to call would be their electrician.

Benn and Quinn consult an electrician, reviewing electrical plans and components on a table.
Benn and Quinn discussing with an electrician at a kitchen counter.
Benn and Quinn consult an electrician, reviewing electrical plans and components on a table.
Benn and Quinn discussing with an electrician at a kitchen counter.

Starting early

“We wanted to take the best bits of our last houses and make a perfect house for us,” says Quinn. “In previous builds and renovations, by the time we realised what we really wanted to do it was a little bit too late. So this time we got Andy our electrician in as soon as the frames were stood.”

Andrew Marker of A1 Electricians toured the site with the couple to discuss what they wanted from their new home and the electrical possibilities that they could include in their Electric Home Design.

“It opened up a lot of doors for us as far as electrical gear that we could put in,” says Ben. “We visited the Clipsal showroom prior to our build beginning and got really excited about the features we could have in our home. You don’t just have to have a few power points here and there — there are so many different options.”

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Make a plan

Starting an Electric Home Design plan early means you can allocate a budget to what you want to achieve and make sure your electrical scheme is part of the overall build plan to avoid retrofitting.

“There are a lot of exciting things you can do electrically nowadays,” says Andrew, “and it’s really designed around how you want to live in your home. Some things to consider would be the style of cover plates, smart home options, and security or automatic sensors.”

Ben and Quinn say that having Andrew involved from the start helped with key elements of their home’s design. “He had some awesome ideas around light placement. It can be quite overwhelming if you’ve got a large ceiling space. We’ve got some feature lighting that he placed perfectly for us, as well as all our downlights. And there was lighting above the kitchen bench splashback to bring a bit of mood lighting as well.”

Modern kitchen with light wood cabinets, white counters, gold faucet, and three brown bar stools.
Homeowner and Electrician discuss which iconic switch and power point to mount on a green tiled kitchen wall.
Modern kitchen with light wood cabinets, white counters, gold faucet, and three brown bar stools.
Homeowner and Electrician discuss which iconic switch and power point to mount on a green tiled kitchen wall.

Enhancing the design features

The couple’s home is a modern design with an exterior of white brick and timber cladding and striking black joinery.

Large stacker doors in the downstairs living area maximise the sunlight and create seamless flow onto the deck and into the lavender‑edged garden beyond. There is even a small gate to the park next door, so the sport‑loving family can easily pop over for a game or the kids can play on the playground.

The light, airy interior is enhanced by a light timber look in flooring, kitchen cabinetry and occasional furniture. There are also accents of warm brass in drawer handles, tapware and feature lights.

A seasoned interior specialist, Quinn was quick to spot how the timber‑edged design of Clipsal Iconic Essence would add to their home. “It’s so beautiful. I loved how slim it was, and the curve, because we’ve got lots of curves in the house. And its timber feature matches our aesthetic.”

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Choose your style

The perfect finishing touch

The couple added USB‑C Fast Chargers to bedside power points for convenience and used Iconic pictograms to easily identify switch functions around the house. Andrew says the Essence range was the perfect finishing touch. “I think one of the best moments was when we installed the Iconic Essence cover plates in the kitchen and Quinn got to stand back and see that the design had come together well.”

Now that Andrew has installed the Iconic base plates around the home, the couple can also easily swap different covers on and off. The Iconic range is compatible with Clipsal’s Wiser smart home system too, so it was straightforward for Andrew to add some smart home features to make the family’s daily life easier.

Three iconic switches and power points installed low on a wall in a living room with people and dogs on a green sofa.
Iconic white switch and power point with rounded edges installed on a wall beside a modern bathroom vanity.
Three iconic switches and power points installed low on a wall in a living room with people and dogs on a green sofa.
Iconic white switch and power point with rounded edges installed on a wall beside a modern bathroom vanity.

Family living made simpler

Clipsal Wiser is a wireless scalable smart home automation system that links to the Wiser app for easy control of lighting, blinds, plugged in devices, sensors and more.

“Now we have lamps that we can control from our phones — it’s things that just make life so much easier,” says Ben. “I love walking downstairs every morning, flicking the switch and three blinds all go up. Having the blinds on automation is a game changer!”

Friday night is family movie night, and Ben and Quinn love how Wiser can transform their living room into a theatre with a single screen tap as the family cuddles up on the couch with popcorn.

By linking a set of actions into a Wiser ‘Moment’ they created their own ‘Movie Night’ command. “It’s so cool — you press one button and the automated blinds come down, the lights dim and the lamp goes on.”

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Peace of mind

The couple also chose some Wiser extras for added peace of mind. The interconnected Wiser Smart Smoke Alarm system will send a notification to their phone if smoke is detected and will trigger every alarm in the house to sound.

The design cohesion continues upstairs into the main family bathroom, where accent features are complemented by a stunning forest green tile feature wall. A Wiser Water Leakage Sensor has been included next to the bath, which can send an alert to their app to let them know if it detects water on the floor. They can also easily move the battery‑operated sensor into the hot water cupboard while they’re away on holiday for peace of mind.

Person reaches for the Iconic switch near a nightstand in a decorated bedroom with a dog on the bed.

Getting the details right

A year on and the family still love living in their home. “It’s beautiful, the details are right on point for us,” says Quinn. “We’re so glad we got Andy involved at an early stage to give us those recommendations,” adds Ben. “It was the small details that make life so much easier. He is a true professional and adds a lot to your build. We couldn’t recommend him highly enough.”

Andrew says his advice to homeowners is to think about an electrical plan early in their project. “There’s a lot of exciting things you can do, and the earlier you get in the more you can see. The thing I enjoy most is showing customers the endless possibilities and seeing the delight on their face when we can deliver it to them at the end of the job.”

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