Since 1951, Lockwood Homes has taken pride in constructing high performance homes of outstanding quality, building warm, dry, healthy and comfortable homes which are also good for the wider community and the environment.
Lockwood build sustainable houses throughout New Zealand. Wood is a renewable resource and the only major building material that helps tackle climate change challenges. Forests remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, known as carbon sequestration. Depending on growth rate and wood density, a hectare of pine trees locks up 4-7 tonnes of carbon per year, equivalent to 15-26 tonnes of carbon dioxide absorbed from the atmosphere. When the tree is responsibly harvested the carbon is locked in the wood and remains there for the life of any products made with that timber. In short; the more solid wood we use, the more carbon that is stored. The more trees that are grown, the more oxygen is released into the atmosphere, and the better off our entire world will be.
Lockwood homes are built from a trusted supply of locally sourced New Zealand radiata pine which is a natural, renewable, biodegradable resource. Our homes are durable, strong, ventilated, warm and dry – so they create robust and healthy living environments for you and your family. Sleep comfortably knowing your Lockwood home works with nature, for good.
Read more on New Zealand wood here.
Lockwood’s solid timber building system offers advantages in thermal comfort and control, indoor air quality and heating and cooling efficiency – providing you and your family with a healthy living environment. Solid wood has high insulation and thermal mass, meaning less energy is needed to heat, cool and ventilate a solid wood building. Wood is itself a natural insulator and our exterior walls comprised of a tight sandwich of solid timber and insulation means there are minimal connections between internal and external elements delivering even better heat retention. Lincoln University conducted studies in 2007 which showed solid wood provides up to 2.5 times the thermal mass of concrete. The greater thermal mass of a solid wood home makes it energy efficient – making it better for the environment and lower power bills for you.
Solid wood is strong yet flexible and durable. Lockwood homes move slightly in events such as earthquakes, then return to their original position when the shaking stops. This ductility in the Lockwood Building System helps keep you safe and reduces the risk of damage to your home, allowing it to weather extreme storms and ride out strong earthquakes.
Click here to read testimonials from Lockwood homeowners on the performance of their homes in a natural disaster or to watch our video on earthquake testing.
A solid wood building is “alive”. Timber naturally “breathes”, regulating moisture, temperature and humidity. Rainwater channels through the joinery, draining away harmlessly, while exterior walls wick moisture away, protecting the home from damp. Our homes will actively help to maintain your comfort level by working with the surrounding environment to achieve a natural balance – giving you a stable, warm, dry, and comfortable home.
A solid wood home acts as a dehumidifier in bedrooms at night and as a humidifier in living areas during the daytime. Solid timber regulates humidity, avoiding build-up of bacteria, viruses, fungi and mites, minimising respiratory infections and asthma*. The warm glow of finished timber goes beyond aesthetic appeal; it’s been credited with physiological and psychological benefits that mimic the effects of spending time in nature, such as lowered blood pressure and heart rate, reducing stress and anxiety, and increasing positive social interactions.^
*Based on information obtained from studies conducted at Lincoln University in 2007
^Based on information obtained from a Planet Ark study prepared in 2015 and updated in 2017
In the factory environment we minimise waste through thoughtful assessment of our materials to optimise use throughout the production line. For example, if part of a timber plank is not suitable for one purpose it can be processed for finger-jointed or glue laminated products. We also minimise waste by treating only finished timber products. This means that shavings and unused off-cuts are untreated and can be repurposed. For example, wood shavings are turned into wood pellets for pellet wood burners.
The production and processing of wood uses much less energy than most other building materials, giving homes built from solid wood a significantly lower carbon footprint. As a rule of thumb, if you substitute one cubic metre of timber for a cubic metre of concrete, you will eliminate approximately one metric tonne (1,000kg) of carbon dioxide from being emitted into the atmosphere. Construction of a Lockwood home, rather than a conventionally-built home, can save 4 tonnes of carbon dioxide, equal to the emissions of driving 22,000km.
Forestry employs many New Zealanders, and Lockwood supports the regional economy by sourcing all raw timber locally. A Lockwood home has 5.5 times the amount of timber than a conventionally framed home and it is all sustainably and locally sourced from plantation forests around the Rotorua region. Transport emissions are minimised by our proximity to the forestry industry, further reducing the impact on our environment. Homes built using local materials is good for us individually, and for our economy.