When this client approached the local contractor in Nelson about their bush and manuka-laden challenging hillside site about building their family bach, the start of a design journey ensued, as this was always going to be a home incorporating design ideas from the family.
The family had owned the site for over 10 years. The original idea was to create a small and simple bach where the family who were based in various international locations or travelling extensively due to work, could share their summer vacations together.
The first concepts included a mono-pitched roofline and as the design grew and evolved, its long lines were transformed from what was in danger of looking like a commercially proportioned structure without personality, to the vaulted timber-portalled beauty it is today.
One of the elements the family felt very strongly about was sustainability, so partnering with a supplier who could meet and exceed their list of eco-credentials was key. Using plantation pine for solid timber walls with Lockwood’s engineered VG Pine Weatherboard on the exterior meant the home had a carbon-positive footprint (there is substantially more carbon locked into the solid timber walls than was used in the manufacturing and construction of the home).
Thermal performance was enhanced by the use of thermally broken joinery and Low-E glass. Bio wastewater with charcoal filters and specially treated UV filtered ionised water systems were also installed throughout the home.
There is a strong Japanese influence in the family, so a traditional bathroom and sleeping quarters were incorporated into the design. This required the foundations in one bedroom to be slightly lower than the rest of the home so as to seamlessly incorporate tatami flooring mats. Futons, shoji screens and a specially imported hinoki bath complete the Japanese-influenced features.
A loft space upstairs has been transformed into a play zone for the children whose colourful works of art can be seen adorning the passage walls.
The ideas from this couple, their far-flung children and their partners have all come together in an inspired design and build which has quickly become the welcoming family safe-haven they envisioned when they first embarked on this journey.
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