April Fools joke to Home Show raffle
On 1 April this year, Landmark Homes announced it was expanding its Ready to Build collection with a range of architecturally designed dog houses. Premium finishes, clever layouts and seamless indoor-outdoor flow, "for maximum zoomies, of course."
It was a joke. Then the messages started arriving.
"People genuinely loved it," said Landmark Homes Central and West owner, Warwick Aldridge. "We had people messaging to say the house looked amazing and asking when they could order one. So we thought, why not build it?"
So they did. The finished dog house went to the Auckland Home Show at the Auckland Showgrounds in Greenlane, from Thursday 10 to Sunday 13 September, and one visitor took it home. With every dollar from purchased raffle tickets, going to the SPCA.
Built the way we'd build anything
The team took the joke seriously. The dog house stayed true to the April Fools design, in a new colour, and took around ten hours to build.
"We took the April Fools render as the brief and built to it, the way we would for any client," said Warwick. "Good proportions, a proper roof, indoor-outdoor flow, and materials that would last."
Materials were donated by ITM, Carpet Court and Vue Master Windows and Doors, and the finished home came fully furnished with a dog bed and accessories. The first tenant to test it was Derek, who moved straight into the master suite and gave it the wag of approval.
Why we support the SPCA
Landmark Homes became an official SPCA Business Supporter earlier this year, and the dog house is our Auckland team's way of getting behind the partnership.
"Landmark Homes is a family company, and for most Kiwi families that family includes a dog or a cat," said Warwick. "The SPCA is Landmark's charity of choice nationally, and we wanted to do something local, fun and a bit different to support them. Nobody needs a designer dog house, but everyone wants one, and this one went to a very good cause."
How it worked
Raffle tickets were available online and on the Landmark Homes stand at the Auckland Home Show. The winner was drawn on Wednesday 16 September at 9.00am.
Our lucky winner was Maree Gordon!
A total of $1,902 was raised. An amazing effort by the Auckland team and great result for SPCA.
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