What we build

Custom home builders.

Bespoke architectural homes designed and built around how you live, with open-book pricing.

A home that fits the way you live

A custom home should fit the way you actually live, not the other way around. We design and build one-off architectural homes across Nelson and Tasman, working with you from the first sketch so the home, the budget and the performance are resolved together.

Why build custom with us

Bespoke design shaped around your brief and your site, delivered by one accountable team. Our open-book pricing means you see every dollar as it is spent, and every home is built to perform: warm, dry, healthy and economical to run.

One-off homes we have built

The Black House at twilight, a custom two-pavilion Ecotectural home featured on Grand Designs NZ
TasmanArchitectural

The Black House

A one-off brief answered with two relocatable pavilions, on Grand Designs NZ.

View project
Custom cedar-clad gable home by Ecotectural above the Motueka estuary
MotuekaArchitectural

The Cedar House

Cedar-clad, solar self-sufficient, shaped to its estuary outlook.

View project
Custom gable home under a big Tasman sky, built by Ecotectural on a hillside platform
TasmanHigh-performance

Tasman View

Designed for its hillside platform and the view beyond it.

View project

Good questions

Custom building, answered.

What does a custom build cost?

It depends on the design, the site and the specification, which is exactly why we price open-book: you see the real numbers from the start. Our guide to build costs in NZ gives realistic 2026 ranges.

How is custom different from a plan home?

A plan home starts from someone else's drawings and bends your life to fit. A custom home starts from your brief and your site: the sun, the slope, the outlook and the way your household actually runs. Nothing is standard unless it deserves to be.

Can you build from my own plans?

Yes. If you already have plans from an architect or designer, we will price and build them, and our plan pricing review will tell you honestly what they will really cost before you commit.

Ready to design a home around your life?

Book a free one-hour consultation with founder Daryl Combes. No obligation, just an honest conversation about your site, your brief and your budget.

Arrange a consultation

Trusted memberships and partners

  • Registered Master Builders
  • New Zealand Certified Builders
  • Halo 10 Year Residential Guarantee
  • Passive House Institute New Zealand, Allied member
  • Nelson Tasman Chamber of Commerce member
  • Licensed Building Practitioner
  • Formance structural insulated panels
Call Daryl Arrange a consultation