G.J. Gardner Homes has a reputation for high-quality, great-value builds. From humble beginnings in Queensland, Australia, today the building company operates franchises across Australia, the U.S.A and New Zealand, where it has built over 15,000 homes to date. Safe to say that G.J. Gardner knows a thing or two about what Kiwis want when searching for a home. 

G.J. Gardner Homes became the first builder partner to purchase at Ara Hills in November last year. We caught up with Managing Director Ross Morley to talk all things Ara Hills, and what prospective homeowners can expect from a G.J. Gardner home.

What made you consider purchasing at Ara Hills?

I do a lot of work in Australia, so I’m really familiar with the AVJennings brand. Here in New Zealand, AVJennings helped create the Hobsonville Point township in Auckland’s northwest, which is set to become home to 11,000 Aucklanders across 4,500 homes. The project has been hugely successful, so we wanted to establish a relationship with AVJennings in our franchise area in Rodney East. 

What do you like about this particular development?

The interesting contour will give real character to the community. I really like the way the homes are clustered in groups as if to create mini-communities within the larger development, linked together with wandering green spaces. 

What do you think will attract home buyers to Ara Hills?

Obviously the proximity to the beach is a bonus, and you’re straight on the motorway for easy access to the city. The development itself borders the Nukumea Reserve which is Department of Conservation-owned land. The naturally-elevated contours of the development site will give residents some beautiful views over the reserve as well as the Hibiscus Coast beaches. You just don’t tend to get natural features like that with other developments.

What types of houses do you expect to build at Ara Hills and what kind of design features can we expect?

Our superlot comprises 15 standalone sections. We are proposing a mix of 3 and 4-bedroom homes on individual titles and these will be mainly single level and reasonably high-density. 

All of our sites slope towards the north giving great solar gain and open views to the bush, so our designs pay particular attention to indoor/outdoor flow to make the most of natural contours of the land.

What are some of the benefits of buying a GJ Gardner home?

We’re very confident in the product we produce and the service we provide. G.J. Gardner has a reputation for building with integrity, and our commitment and dependability makes for an enjoyable building experience for our customers. That’s why we’re the number one builder in the Rodney District. That, and we’re local - we’ve operated in Rodney East for 23 years and counting. With this position comes high standards and great buying power which equates to great value for our customers.  

Have you had much interest from prospective purchasers yet?

Yes, we have had some interest, however we’re currently only taking expressions of interest until our final designs are compiled. 

When do you expect to start building at Ara Hills? Is there an indicative completion date yet?

This depends on when titles are issued however construction is scheduled to start later in the year with the first expected completions early 2021