Whare Paetara
"If someone had told me beforehand that our house could be so nice to live in, I wouldn’t have believed them. I am a registered nurse with an interest in Child and Family health. So, I am very aware of the health consequences of poor housing, which unfortunately is most of New Zealand's housing stock, even most new houses. It makes no sense to continue to build code-minimum houses that are cold and expensive to heat. If all houses were built like ours, families would be living in warm, dry houses that are cheap to run. There is a lot of evidence that this would improve children's health and reduce demand on the health sector. This is our forever home. We have told our boys they will be taking us out of here in a box."
– Shirley & Paul Watson
Hilltop Haven
"This has been the fulfilment of a life-long dream for both of us. We are living our values, in a place that we love. Getting here certainly involved some grit, determination, and a commitment to closing our ears to people who could only think about the 'normal' way things are done. [We] cannot imagine being anywhere else in any other house. I'lI only leave this place when I'm carried out in a coffin!"
– James Irvine & Kara Scally-Irvine
Hyllton Heights
“I have worked with different architects on other projects before, but Bob Burnett was like a breath of fresh air. He came up with a beautiful design, and accompanying this, his company works with such professionalism. On a personal level Bob Burnett was a very kind, polite and respectful person to collaborate with.”
– Angelika L
Jane Deans Close
“Bob has an ability to listen and then interpret what you’ve said into spaces you will enjoy. I really enjoy his passion for energy efficiency and environmental design. And Shizuka is a total delight to work with. She is very talented and endlessly patient about the product and internal design. The house they’ve designed has turned out to be a pleasure to live in.”
– Vicki Buck
Carey Street Housing Exemplar, CCC
“I can confirm that Bob Burnett Architecture was employed as an expert advisor in relation to Christchurch City Council’s (CCC) redevelopment of our Carey Street housing complex. However it became apparent very early that so much value was actually being added by Bob and his team’s involvement in this scheme that he was procured directly by our development partners. The architectural brief was demanding in delivering a mixed tenure 39 Unit (Social, affordable and market) housing development within an existing brownfield site, where existing roading and a large number of trees required retention. The response to the brief was outstanding, delivering a highly replicable response which included a higher density than initially thought possible. We expect this development will receive national recognition for the way in which we’re achieved the density, the levels of amenity released by all units, and with it the largest cluster of Homestar 6 houses in NZ I’m personally aware of. I would have absolutely no hesitation in recommending Bob Burnett and his team for further work.”
– Lee Sampson
Waikuku Beach House
“Bob & Shizuka listened to our raw ideas and transformed them into a realisable building design that looks great and that we really love living in. There are some wonderful features and the feel of the spaces is wonderful. Particularly the quality of light in the living spaces which actually helps keep you in a good mood, even on cloudy days. A warm, solid and sustainable building with appropriate insulation, thermal mass, etc. was what we wanted and the combination of smart design, the right materials and attention to details resulted in a building that performs very well with low running costs. The Sept. EQ hit 3 weeks after we moved in and we had very minimal damage (just a little paint). We feel very safe & secure in our house.”
– Carsten Schill
Allandale House
“Bob was able to interpret our needs and visions of a home, but also added style and character that we weren’t expecting. The design stage was an easy streamlined process with good communication and amazing results.”
– Wendy Duggan
Methven House
“Bob and Shizuka did an absolutely AMAZING job designing our home and it is BLISS to live in.”
– Cheryl Irwin
“We just love the house and have had so many compliments on what a nice space it is. Most people can’t put a finger on what it is, just that it ‘feels good’ or has ‘good energy’!! I think it is something to do with the feeling of connection with the outside landscape. We are very much enjoying the warmth and space, it is all working brilliantly. The heating is excellent, the whole house sitting at around 20 degrees and only fluctuating a degree or so.”
– Bill Irwin
Selwyn Road House
“We were very happy with both Bob’s architectural skills and the manner in which they have been delivered.”
– Andrew Murphy & Megan Pow
Scott House
“Over the years I have been involved with four professional architects in other residential projects. From this experience I am able to say that Shizuka Yasui has demonstrated outstanding creative talent together with the ability to readily grasp client wishes, needs and world outlook. In addition Ms Yasui clearly possesses advanced computer visualisation skills and very good English. These attributes coupled with a pleasing personality have enabled a productive and rewarding relationship.”
– Jack Scott
Preston Downs House
“Hi Bob, Phil and I wanted to let you know we have moved into our beautiful new home. We just love it, it is so warm, has fantastic all day sun, marvellous indoor outdoor flow and such stunning views. And the boat fits! Everyone comments about the sensational design – thank you!”
– Charlene Benson
Seddon St House
“We moved to this house on 32A Seddon St in December 2010. It was just completed, was very fresh, very unusual both in the external appearance (completely different from other New Zealand houses) and from the inside (a lot of light, high ceiling, and feeling that the space continues to the beautiful Japanese garden). We felt straight away that the environment is very healthy here and that was true - our children stopped coughing and sneezing. The windows, doors are fantastic in terms of insulation quality and keeping nasty weather away. It was a very warm winter in the house despite two big snowfalls in Christchurch last year. The underfloor heating is amazing as you can regulate it according to the temperature you need and the time that it’s required. It appeared to be very economical too - at least $100.00 off the monthly bill less than usual for a family of five. In the summer it’s the opposite - fresh and cool especially with the French windows that can be opened out to the Garden. We felt safe in the house during the EQs - it may move but not much happened to it at all - the new structure appeared to be EQ resistant! We had very comfortable, easy living in this house and it is easily the warmest house we have lived in since coming to New Zealand. We think that it’s a house from the future and we hope that this approach in the design and quality will be taken by others”.
– Natalia & Evgeny Gavrilov
Broadoaks House
“We met Bob Burnett at a home show. He had his own personal home plans on display and we both really enjoyed his style and knew he could be trusted with the hillside nature of the section as he had designed many hill homes. It was important for us to let him use his creativity. We gave a strong brief and enjoyed his interpretation of ideas and liked Shizuka’s influence too. There is certainly some of Shizuka in the home. We like the clean modern lines and feel comfortable with the understated elegance of the house. This is honestly the easiest home to live in for practicality and comfort. It’s a brilliant kitchen with great working spaces and casual dining at the breakfast bar. We didn’t want the home to be set in an era, rather to be timeless and didn’t want a showhome, rather a home to live in and that is precisely what has been achieved. We had a real meeting of minds with Bob.”
– Mary Lou & Stephan Heep
Heathcote Valley House
“We are pleased to provide a reference for Bob Burnett, who has designed our recently completed new home. From the initial planning stages we were impressed with his ability to adapt our ideas into a workable plan and to advise us when concepts were unworkable or needed revision. He continued to be quietly efficient during the construction and completion phases. The result is a light, airy, warm and ecologically friendly home with which we are thrilled. We would have no hesitation in using him again and recommending him to others. We would be happy to be contacted if further details are needed.”
– Chris Wyles & Dick Sainsbury
