Set back from the road, the property lies within a green belt and is a magnet for bird life.
Temperatures can be extreme; we often see -9°C overnight during the winter months, with midsummer once hitting 39°C.
New Zealand is very windy, and the Wairarapa is no exception.
A building boom makes contractors scarce, materials limited and costs high.
Too cold in winter
Barely insulated, too many windows, all single glazed
Too hot in summer
Excessive sun-exposed glass
Energy usage was high
The heat pump worked very hard
No sheltered outdoor space
No respite from the wind
Sun glare in the living room
The remainder was gloomy
Noisy in summer
Sudden thermal expansion of the solid walls was loud
Deep shadowing on winter mornings
Build it myself
I enjoy making things, & our budget dictated max economy
Be as sustainable & energy-neutral as possible
Adapt and reuse, limit construction waste, prefer functional materials with a low carbon footprint
Select materials for their cost to performance ratio
Repurpose effective construction materials and diversify their function. Limit weight of elements so they can be hefted by a single person
Detailed to be fault tolerant as a safety net for my craftsmanship
Large shadow joints, robust detailing, overt fixings
Improve thermal performance
Passive-solar design, rationalise glazing, insulate as much as possible, minimise thermal bridging
Control glare
Use internal and external surfaces to diffuse and bounce sunlight into the interior (paradoxically this improves glare)
Use extensions & pavilions to subdivide the garden into sheltered pockets
Improve access to the garden, and create areas protected from swirling winds
Low Maintenance
Encourage wear patterns and weathering-patinas
Ornament is Crime
(I’m with Adolf Loos). Junctions and surfaces should express their function with minimal fuss. Applied decoration is not sustainable.