ABOUT QUEENSTOWN
Queenstown sits on the shore of Lake Wakatipu among dramatic alpine ranges. Sometimes referred to as the adventure capital of the world, visitors and residents can enjoy a multitude of high-adrenalin adventures like bungy jumping, tandem skydiving, river surfing, canyon swinging, jet boating, mountaineering, climbing and abseiling.
With one of the longest ski seasons from June to October, Queenstown and Wanaka boast five commercial ski resorts including The Remarkables, Coronet Peak, Cardrona, Treble Cone and Snow Farm. The region offers outstanding cycling trails for every level of cyclist and the area is home to three lift-assisted bike parks and the renowned Gorge Road Jump Park dirt jump park, while the Queenstown Trailoffers over 130kms of bike trails beside Lake Whakatipu. Queenstown is near to three of New Zealand’s Great Walks, two national parks and a collection of short walks, day walks and multi-day hikes.
Gibbston’s world-renowned wineries are a 25-minute drive from Queenstown and there are over 200 Central Otago wineries located within an hour’s drive from Queenstown. The area is also home to a thriving craft beer scene. Visitors and residents are spoilt for choice with more than 150 bars, restaurants and cafes on offer.
Queenstown plays host to numerous events throughout the year, including The Winter Games NZ, Welcome to Winter, Sotheby’s Realty Queenstown Marathon, Crankworx Summer Series, New Zealand Golf Open, Gibbston Valley Winery Summer Concert, Macpac Motatapu, Arrowtown Autumn Festival, the Whakatipu Music Festival, LUMA Southern Light Project, Winter Pride and the Snow Machine Festival.
Economic growth in the Queenstown-Lakes District averaged 5.0%pa over the last 10 years compared with an average of 2.6%pa in the national economy.Accommodation & Food Services was the largest contributor to GDP in the Queenstown-Lakes District in 2021, accounting for 14.5% of total.A total of 9,213 business units were recorded in the Queenstown-Lakes District in 2021, up 0.8% from a year earlier and higher than the national average of 0.5% growth over the same period. Growth in the number of business units in Queenstown-Lakes District averaged 3.8%pa over the past 10 years compared with 1.6%pa in the national economy.
Construction made the largest contribution to employment growth in Queenstown-Lakes District between 2020 and 2021, with the industry adding 94 jobs. Residential building construction was the largest creator of jobs in Queenstown-Lakes District between 2020 and 2021, generating an additional 74 positions. Between June 2021 and May 2022, 1,550 residenceswere approved for construction.The Queenstown-Lakes District saw a 4.3% annual increasein its median house price to $1,200,000 as at August 2022.
Mark Harry
With 15 years’ experience in the building industry, Stonewood Homes Queenstownowner Mark Harry brings a wealth of knowledge to his hew home builder clients. Within his team of 15 staff, many have been working with him for over a decade or more and have the skills and experience to ensure their clients have a stress-free building journey.
Mark believes regular and open communication between a builder and their client is a key element in making the building journey as smooth and enjoyable as possible for new home builders.
“Our team have a thorough understanding of the building process and we know that issues sometimes arise throughout the building journey but we are able to address these before they happen so that our clients can have a stress-free experience. We try to give our clients as much information about how the building process will go and how long it will take and we provide weekly updates. The more information clients have, the easier the building process will be.”
– Mark Harry
A former accountant, Mark understands that clients are looking for value and to stay on budget and his ethos is to deliver a quality product and outstanding customer service within budget. Mark says the best advice he could give someone considering building a new home is to thoroughly research your options and talk to people in the local community who have had new homes built.
“This will be the biggest investment you ever make, so don’t just jump in. Do your research, visit show homes, look at the quality of the homes and talk to people in the community.”
Mark believes building a new home is a smarter choice than buying an existing property, as you will have equity in your new home straight away and you can design a home that suits your needs.
A local for over 20 years, the majority of Mark’s trade sub-contractors and suppliers are also local and have been associated with his business for over a decade. He is a generous supporter of the local community.
The nine House of the Year awards Stonewood Homes Queenstown have won since 2017 is testament to the professionalism and high standard of building expected by the team. Mark and his team at Stonewood Homes Queenstownoffer a full list of services for their local clients, including knockdown rebuilds, custom builds and house and land packages.
Stonewood Homes Queenstown service the following areas:
Arthur’s Point | Closeburn | Fernhill/Sunshine Bay | Frankton | Gibbston | Glenorchy | Kelvin Heights | Lake Hayes | Shotover Country | Quail Rise | Queenstown Hill | Queenstown Central and East