Tag: New Zealand
-
246: Hawea Flat Passive House
The Hawea Flat Passive House in the middle of the South Island is a very special home. It boasts a number of ‘firsts’ for New Zealand and the journey of its creation has arguably changed more than just the way Jonathan Holmes lives. Jonathan used to work for Contact Energy, where among other things, he…
-
241: What’s so Good about Wood?
John Stulen lives is the heart of New Zealand’s forestry industry in Rotorua. He originally studied Mechanical Engineering at McMaster University, Ontario and has been involved in the wood industry almost ever since. Through events and digital platforms such as WoodWorks, John is particularly interested in promoting innovative timber solutions. From multi-residential, through to commercial…
-
238: Building Passive Houses
Wayne Dyet learnt about how things work as an aircraft engineer. Knowing how things fit together and attention to detail were important attributes for the job. He later turned his attention to building and started an apprenticeship. Now specialising in building Passive Houses, Wayne hasn’t looked back and is truly enjoying what he does. Wayne’s…
-
230: Making Houses Perform
Murray and Lee Ann Durbin know what it’s like to live in a good home. For nearly five years, they enjoyed living in the Homestar 10, Passive House Plus Certified Ideal House. The Ideal House is now one of the first Passive Houses in New Zealand to be resold. Murray and Lee Ann have moved…
-
222 Building Better Homes
Simon Wansbrough is the Founder and Director of Third Little Pig, a custom home building company based in Christchurch. I’ve known Simon since before he was a builder and we start our chat talking about why he chose building when he had plenty of other options. Simon also shares how he’s been able to establish…
-
212: Don’t Build a Garden Shed
Ian Chamberlain has been a builder for nearly 40 years. He first learnt his craft as a cabinet maker and joiner in the UK before going on to gain experience across the construction sector, but nearly always working with wood. He’s been in New Zealand now for over two decades and Chamberlain Homes has made…
-
186: Beautiful High Performance Windows
Where do you go to get beautiful, high performance doors and windows, made in New Zealand? In 2005 Christian and Sandra Rampe moved to New Zealand from Germany. Despite the milder climate of New Zealand, they were surprise just how cold they were here, inside their house. They were also surprised how much condensation there…
-
139: The Future of Green Design
The terms ‘sustainability’ and ‘eco’ are not obvious on Adam Taylor’s website. They are there (see if you can find them). But perhaps the future of green design is embedded in good design. Not something separate. Homestar Practitioner Among other things, Adam is a Homestar Practitioner. There’s nothing particularly special about this nowadays, except when you…