I can’t praise the 1880 Cottage Company highly enough. The entire building project went smoothly from start to finish and I was particularly impressed with the professionalism of the contractors. Each one of them took a real pride in their work and it shows in the details. I am delighted with my cottage and would not hesitate to recommend this as a high quality, cost effective way to go.

We have always admired the 1880 Cottages during our frequent drives through the Wairarapa. When we moved from Wellington to the Hawke’s Bay and bought a vineyard with a restored villa on it as our main residence, there was no doubt in our minds that if (and when) we decided to build a secondary dwelling on the property that we wanted a 1880 cottage to be built to complement our situation.

We purchased a  2 bedroom kitset, late 2009, after a few amendments to the original plans – (i.e we wanted to extend the verandah and change the layout of the bathroom). Chrissy and Craig were very helpful when we were planning and designing the layout of our cottage – and most importantly, they were flexible and willing to accommodate the changes we wanted.

After appointing a local builder, Chrissy and Craig were always on hand to answer any questions or deal with any issues – and we felt that they provided top-class service throughout the build. They also came up to the Hawke’s Bay to check on progress on a couple of occasions.

We have had wonderful feedback on the quality of the cottage  – from family, friends, guests and a diverse range of trades people!!!

We certainly would not hesitate to recommend 1880 Cottages to anyone looking to build a dwelling of very good to high quality, with flexibility in specifications.

Neal Cave & Suzanna Taylor

Dear Craig,

In response to your question about the commercial reality of our 1880’s Cottage I would like to confirm that we are enjoying a return greater than we could enjoy from a Fixed Interest investment plus of course any long-term capital growth.

The cottage is extremely well built and from a rental proposition it provides the tenants with a warm and cosy house which is also easy to keep.

The quality of the build is exemplary and the work needed to locate the house on the property caused minimal disruption to other activities on the property. I am certainly happy to recommend this form of construction to other people seeking additional accommodation or a holiday cottage.

Yours faithfully

David Binning

Dear Chrissy, Craig, Amelia, Jane and all the guys at 1880 Cottage Company whose names are not known to me.

Thank you so very much for my 340 Cottage! This is my fifth day living in my new home and I’m loving it. At the moment there is a storm here in Otaki Beach . The wind and rain are lashing against the cottage. I have my woodburning stove stoked and I feel very warm and comfortable. The stove and the double glazed windows make for a very cosy atmosphere inside.

I love everything about the cottage. Chrissy, you will remember how keen I was on having as much timber inside as possible. This is what I really appreciate. The exposed rafters, the tongue and groove flooring throughout and the beautifully crafted interior doors, vanity, bath surround, sink benchtop, and cupboards…all create a warm and homely feeling in the cottage. I really value the craftmanship in the fitting out of the cottage interior. The finishing work is excellent. Visitors comment on that all the time. Visitors and passers by are very impressed. This cottage is a novelty, over here on the coast. I notice people driving by just to look!

Thank you Chrissy for your patience while I was choosing which lovely cottage to buy and deciding how I should accommodate what I wanted inside. It has turned out brilliantly. I am impresssed with what I can fit into such a small home. I like living simply and moving into this small cottage has made me decide on what I really need in life and what may go to the local op shop for someone else to use.

I love waking up in my new cottage in the morning. I think, ‘Yes, I’m here at last’ and I’m keen to get up and admire it. I do a bit of that too, just wandering around admiring my new home. I’m very pleased with the choice of colours for the interior walls and ceiling and also for the exterior doors, windows and roof. The exterior walls look great with the natural stain on the ply and batten walls.

During the first few days that I was here in the cottage, there was a lot of sunshine. It was lovely to sit out on the verandah steps, with a drink, just taking in the sun and the sea breeze. I just opened up both sets of double doors and let the sun shine in. I can see that, in the summer, the verandah will be a valuable extra living space. The verandah faces north so the cottage gets sunshine all day long. The storage loft is getting plenty of use too!

So I can see that I am going to have many happy years living in this beautiful little home! At the moment, I’m thinking of a name for the cottage! Thank you to all of you at 1880 Cottage Company for your great work and your professional and friendly approach to your customers. Take care and I will call by to say hello next time I’m over in the Wairarapa. Please call by and visit when you are over this way.

Delia Dellabarca

The Team at 1880 … We have been enjoying our 750 Cottage immensely from the moment she arrived on our property. Everyone who visits comments on the warmth, quiet and spaciousness of our Cottage. The colonial character features of the Timber kitchen, Finishings, Doors and the exposed ceiling makes being inside her such a joy. We also appreciate how effortless you made the alterations we required to the original design.

Our whole family loves our Cottage, and seem to be visiting more often. Our fridge is constantly being emptied by the children – we are so happy they wish to be with us.

Thank you ever so much.

The 1880 Cottage Company could not have been more helpful. Having worked in the building industry for over 30 years, I noticed the workmanship and the design were first rate … I was impressed. Their after-sales service has been terrific.

Recently I purchase a house through 1880 Cottage Co. As I work and live in Wellington I needed to entrust all details to 1880. They organized everyt hing from permits to shift including all connections, I can absolutely recommend their services.

They were very good to deal with.

We are thrilled our one-roomed cottage looks so great on our country site. The smart style, natural wood cladding, and verandah all adds to the cosiness.

Many thanks.

1880 Cottage Company? – Terrific, from the first time we wandered in to have a curious look over their Clareville yard, to the completion of our delightful house in its new location. At that initial stage, our decision was still whether to relocate an old house or to build something new. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that many, many months were spent on the internet or looking at brochures and visiting display homes and ‘second-hand’ houses – We considered everything from kitsets to rammed earth to ramshackle old homesteads … 1880 Cottage Co. was then just one of many options. Ultimately however, the fantastically solid construction, attention to weather-proofing and insulation, the traditionally attractive, unpretentious appearance, plus easy communication enabling our input where and when we wished all led us to build new with 1880.

They were professional, knowledgeable, broad-minded and a pleasure to deal with, managing to integrate our ideas and ideals to create a highly individualised construction within their framework. Our cottage is a delight to us. We have a most uniquely personalised kitchen space with woodwork and joinery a pleasure to see. Our desire for full double glazing was not a problem and the input from the 1880 team on all matters such as bathroom fit-out, wood-burner, visible hardwear, flooring etc. was invaluable. The spaces of the interior are well thought out with some being multi-functional allowing for a variety of living conditions, such as coping with an extra visiting family or allowing an older child a special place of their own.

What can we say? It’s a great place!

When a member of our family returned to the Wairarapa with her small child we were, naturally delighted. But with two teenagers still living at home, space soon became a problem. Rental accommodation in town was as scarce as hen’s teeth and any decent houses for sale were way out of our price range. From the moment we visited the 1880 Cottage Co it became obvious that we had found our solution. We fell in love with the first cottage they showed us and they assured us that it was available for sale (it later transpired that they had been building this particular cottage for the owner’s son). What had started as a business transaction quickly became a friendship and we became part of the 1880 family. We were always made to feel like their most important customer. We were encouraged to visit and view progress as often as we liked. Craig and the team soon became accustomed to our family arriving on site and wandering over to our cottage, with lots of friendly smiles and waves. We soon discovered that the team was determined to make things as easy and pleasant for us as possible. They took us by the hand and led us through the legal minefield of resource consent, planning permission and everything that went with it. They directed us to local trades people who would help us with wiring, plumbing all associated problems and pitfalls.

As far as the cottage itself, we only had to mention that we would like something and it would happen. For example, when visiting one day, our animal mad girl mentioned that a cat door would be nice. The next time we visited one had been installed. Now safely situated on our property, the cottage, named “Little Tree Cottage”, looks beautiful. Our two girl’s find it warm cozy and comfortable and are very happy to call it home. We in turn love having them close but independent. Not only was the cottage affordable at the time, but has steadily increased in value, in excess of the market. A recent valuation of the property showed an increase of more than 15% in excess of what we have spent in the few months that we have had it. In summary the team of 1880 are nothing short of fabulous. They made the whole journey as painless as they possibly could. Little Tree Cottage has proved to be warm, dry, comfortable, attractive and beautifully constructed. At a financial level it has proved to be a real asset.

We would have no hesitation in recommending Craig and the rest of the 1880 team to anyone looking for a warm comfortable affordable home.

Many thanks.

For many years we’d searched for a small-yet-perfectly-formed cottage to fit our ideal of a comfortable, old-style yet efficient and well-designed building. We found it, at last, at the 1880 Cottage Company in mid-2005, and six months later our 53 square metre Bumblebee Cottage was placed neatly by Alpha Movers into the hedged garden we’d planted years ago, a dream come true.

The passionate involvement of Craig Andrews persuaded us, as nervous buyers, that we were in the right hands and we never regretted our decision. Importantly, we also felt the pricing was excellent. We are grateful to their team of professional cabinet-makers, builders and enthusiastic crew for their cheerful workmanship. It was a happy experience for us and fun to choose our ceiling linings, special doors, woodwork, all from 1880’s own timber yard. We worked happily together and we were able to leave the details of permits and the like in their capable hands. We even felt confident entrusting the plumbing, electrical, insulation, gibbing and painting work to the 1880 Cottage Company’s care as they supervised every step and ensured all was completed with the minimum of fuss and maximum of efficiency. Every single person who has been in our Bumblebee Cottage has been sincerely impressed with its layout, construction and design. Because of its special roofline and ply and batten cladding, “it looks like it’s been there since Greytown started”, is a common remark, and we proudly proclaim that we are the biggest fans of The 1880 Cottage Company.

We recommend their product and wish them all the best, as they certainly deserve it.

Many thanks.

Dear Chrissy and the Team at 1880. I would like to thank you for my beautiful home, it has worked all as I thought it would. I have very much appreciated the personal service from Chrissy and I can say nothing has been too much trouble for her. The grandchildren have table and chairs set up on the deck and spend quite a bit of time here.

Once again thank you.

Chrissy, Craig, Ken, Jane, Amelia. Thank you for the standard of delivery of the Cottage and the extra effort that was made related to the variations which we requested during the last several weeks. Jeanette and I are very pleased with the quality of the workmanship and the very friendly approach of all the staff who have been involved in the project.

Please convey our thanks to them all. Special thanks to all of you.