In May 1998 the last concrete roof tile had been laid on a new architecturally designed home amidst the bushlands in Coatesville, New Zealand.  Homeowner Warren and his family had planned for this to be their home for the coming decades and each material choice was carefully considered.  However, Warren didn’t anticipate the drama that would unfold over the coming years, leading to a complete reroof of his home. Fortunately, Gerard had the lightweight solution to give Warren a roof that will last.

The 285m² house was designed to complement the breathtaking natural surrounds, utilising natural cedar and schist as a feature of the exterior cladding, adding texture and warmth.  Taking inspiration from a neighbouring property, flat concrete roof tiles were chosen, with its appearance mimicking a slate roof.

When Roofing Problems Emerged

Approximately 10 years after the roof was installed, the first issues arose. It started with the pointing coming out of the gable and bargeboard details, allowing birds to creep under the roof and nest in the roof cavity.  At extra cost, repairs were made to the roof to try and fix these issues.  Then the roof started leaking under wind driven rain.

In certain conditions, the roof window overlooking the kitchen would leak and leaks also appeared around a few other unique flashings.  More repairs – and added cost – were undertaken until it became obvious that repairs were not going to solve the root cause: The tiles were no longer providing protection against water ingress. So, the decision was made to reroof the property.

Warren says of the decision “It’s regretful – I never thought I’d have to replace a roof in my lifetime. I also own a property in Devonport and its roof is 90 years old and it’s still ok.  But that’s an old metal roof, and to have a roof that I’ve done in May ‘98 and replacing it already is a bit of a contrast”.  The search was on to find a roofing solution that not only fit the aesthetic of the home, but also provided long-term performance so he wouldn’t need to reroof again in his lifetime.

Introducing Gerard Calibre

Gerard’s new roof profile, Calibre, caught Warren’s eye, with its horizontal panelling best complementing the style of the existing cladding.  The lightweight steel panel system features Concealed Fastening (CF) technology, made up of an interlocking design which adds strength to the roof, while hiding fasteners from view providing clean lines without interruption.  The staggered installation, CF design, and concealed weather channels culminate in a stylish and high performing roof.

Warren was delighted with a solution that came in a wide variety of colours, backed by a well-known manufacturer.  “Gerard products are known for their paint durability, and I was satisfied that Gerard have long established place in the roofing industry in New Zealand.” Warren explains.

A Stronger, Lighter Roofing Solution

Aside from aesthetics, the durability and performance of the paint was critical due to the house being on a rainwater tank.  The degradation of the concrete tiles led to many issues, Warren explains “The roof always looked wet, it had a large amount of moss. In the off season when the moss dried up on the lower edge of the tiles, it would fill the spouting with sludge. Then the birds would come and eat the moss, it caused all sorts of problems.”

Apart from clogging the spouting, those problems included the family contracting campylobacter from a dead bird in the roof system, which laid the family out for weeks.  With Calibre, being on a rainwater tank is no issue, as testing on Gerard’s roof coatings has proven the coatings to be aligned with Australian and New Zealand standards for rainwater collection (AS/NZS 4020).

And switching from a concrete roof to a metal panel roof had extra benefits.  The lightweight construction meant Warren could sleep easy at night with around 7 times less weight above the family’s heads while still maintaining the longevity and durability needed for the roof.  The panel design results in a high strength-to-weight ratio, creating a robust matrix that is able to withstand challenging winds and heavy impacts.

Warren wanted to be very hands-on throughout the reroof process and with his background in engineering and a thorough understanding of construction, it was important for him to work with a team and a manufacturer he could trust.  And Gerard fit the bill.

With his decision made, Warren contracted the Gerard Roofing Centre (GRC) to complete the reroof on his home, using the new Calibre profile in the colour Ebony. The old concrete roof had a few more unpleasant surprises in store though.  When the GRC team started removing tiles from the roof, it quickly became apparent that the structure underneath wasn’t in a suitable condition to leave in place.

The heavy weight of the concrete tiles had caused the trusses to sag and become uneven, requiring new trusses to be erected before the new roof could go on.  Once the new trusses were in place, the Calibre installation began.  Warren worked closely with Scott Caskey, GRC Manager, who was onsite to work with Warren throughout the reroof process.

The difference between the old roof and the new roof is stark.  Calibre’s clean, sharp lines lend an illusion of a modern slate-type roof, while the UV-stable paint gives the roof a sleek aesthetic.  Despite the challenges in reroofing his home, Warren is thrilled with the results, “Gerard rose to all the challenges with this roof.  They overcame them after consultation with me, working through solutions and options.  We got a great result, and the finished product speaks for itself.”

Roofing Installer: GRC

Roofing Manufacturer: Gerard

Profile: Calibre in the colour Ebony

The post Architectural Home Saved with Calibre appeared first on Completehome.

Weathertex products are manufactured from natural Australian hardwood fibres and are non-hazardous in their intact form. However, like any timber-based product, cutting, sanding or machining Weathertex boards generates fine wood dust that should be managed appropriately.

Why Safe Cutting Matters

Machining timber products creates fine airborne dust particles. Prolonged exposure to wood dust can irritate the eyes, nose, throat and skin, and may affect the respiratory system. Following appropriate safety practices significantly reduces these risks.

The good news is that with the right equipment and work practices, Weathertex products can be cut safely and efficiently.

Australian Standards for Safe Cutting

When cutting Weathertex cladding, it’s important to follow safe work practices that align with relevant Australian Standards and workplace health and safety requirements.

Key standards include:

• AS/NZS 1716 – Respiratory Protective Devices: Specifies the performance requirements for respiratory protective equipment, including P2 respirators used to reduce exposure to fine wood dust.
• AS/NZS 1715 – Selection, Use and Maintenance of Respiratory Protective Equipment: Provides guidance on selecting the appropriate respirator, ensuring correct fit, and maintaining respiratory protection throughout its service life.
• Work Health and Safety (WHS) Regulations: Require employers and workers to eliminate or minimise exposure to airborne contaminants, including wood dust, by using engineering controls such as local exhaust ventilation, dust extraction and appropriate personal protective equipment wherever reasonably practicable.

Use Dust Extraction Whenever Possible

The most effective way to minimise dust exposure is to capture it at the source.

When cutting or machining Weathertex boards:

• Use power tools fitted with dust extraction systems or dust bags.
• If using stationary machinery, ensure it is connected to an effective dust extraction system.
• Work in a well-ventilated area to help disperse any remaining airborne dust.

Reducing dust not only improves visibility while working but also helps create a cleaner and safer job site.

Keep Your Work Area Clean

Good housekeeping plays an important role in workplace safety.

After cutting:

• Vacuum, shovel or sweep up wood dust regularly to prevent it from accumulating.
• Dispose of offcuts and dust responsibly in accordance with local waste disposal requirements.
• Avoid allowing dust to enter drains or waterways.

If Dust Causes Irritation

If dust enters your eyes, flush them with clean running water for at least 15 minutes. If inhalation causes persistent coughing or breathing difficulties, leave the dusty area and seek medical advice if symptoms continue. Skin irritation should be washed with mild soap and water.

Store Products Correctly

Store Weathertex boards in a dry, well-ventilated area away from heat sources, sparks and open flames. While Weathertex products are difficult to ignite, good storage practices help maintain product quality and reduce unnecessary safety risks.

Safe Cutting Starts with Good Preparation

Safe cutting isn’t complicated,it simply comes down to preparation, using the correct PPE, controlling dust and maintaining a clean workspace.

By following these straightforward practices, you’ll protect yourself while ensuring your Weathertex installation runs smoothly from start to finish.

For more detailed health and safety information, always refer to the latest Weathertex Safety Data Sheet before commencing work.

The post Best Practices for Cutting Weathertex Cladding appeared first on Completehome.

Pre-Primed Woodsman VS Natural

Our Pre-primed woodsman products and natural products have the same timber surface texture. They both have a natural timber grain that provides unique appearance with the characteristics and looks of timber. The pre-primed woodsman must be painted and the natural products can be stained or left unsealed allowing it to grey off (see installation manual for further details). Pre-primed products have a 25 year manufacturer’s warranty vs Natural Products with a 10 year warranty (conditions apply see installation manual).

Painting Pre-primed VS Staining Natural

Painting Pre-primed Weathertex products provides a solid, opaque finish. It also provides excellent protection against moisture and UV radiation, which helps to prolong the life of the product. Paint is available in a wide variety of colours, and you can choose a colour that complements your home’s design. Weathertex products are low VOC which when used with low VOC paint are safer for your family home.

On the other hand, staining Weathertex products can bring out the natural grain and texture of the timber, creating a more natural look. Quality Stains are available in a range of colours, from light to darker tones, allowing you to achieve the desired look for your project. Staining can also protect the timber from moisture and UV radiation, but it may not be as durable as paint in terms of withstanding the elements. Controlled erosion stains are available to achieve a light timber colour that compliments a ‘beachy’ style.

Maintenance

Our pre-primed cladding products require 7-15+ years maintenance dependant on the choice of paint.

Weathertex natural products will on average require 3-5 years’ maintenance, depending on the choice of stain. The original colour can be restored after natural fading by cleaning and staining the product (further information available on our natural flyer).

Whether you have chosen painting pre-primed or Staining natural a yearly inspection is recommended to confirm the coatings integrity. You may need to apply additional coats or touch up/repairs depending on your inspection and personal preference. Each manufacturer has their own timeframe for maintenance, so it’s important to do some research before choosing.

When deciding between painting and staining your Weathertex products, consider your personal preferences and the environmental conditions the products will be exposed to. Your choice of Weathertex product comes down to your own design aesthetic and ultimately it is your choice!

If you’re unsure about which option to choose, you may want to consult with your professional painter if you are using them or a trained professional for advice. For more information about Painting or Staining your Weathertex products, refer to our Installation Manuals and painting and staining section on the Weathertex website.

The post Pre-primed VS Natural Products appeared first on Completehome.

The journey to rebuild Meika’s family home has been captured in The DECO House, a seven part video series that follows her through key stages of the build — from the front façade and garage to the decking and beyond.

More than simply documenting a build, The DECO House explores the realities of designing for Australia’s unique conditions. From bushfire resilience and heavy rainfall to heat, durability and long-term maintenance, the series demonstrates how thoughtful material selection can help create a home that performs just as well as it looks.

Hosted by Meika, whose family has spent more than two decades manufacturing aluminium building products through DECO Australia, the series combines professional knowledge with the personal experience of rebuilding a family home.

“After experiencing flood damage, you think very differently about what you want from your home,” says Meika.

“It wasn’t just about creating a beautiful house. Every decision became about how our home would perform over time, how it would withstand the climate and whether the materials we chose would continue to look and perform for years to come.”

As homeowners increasingly seek durable, low-maintenance and resilient building solutions, The DECO House provides practical guidance on selecting materials and design features that balance aesthetics, performance and longevity.

Click here to discover more

The post Introducing The DECO House appeared first on Completehome.

The result is a brick with genuine depth of character — no two faces identical, every batch carrying the subtle variation that only comes from a process people gave up in favour of speed decades ago.

What Makes a Brick “Waterstruck”?

The waterstruck method is one of the oldest brickmaking techniques still in use. Rather than being extruded through a die, each brick is formed individually in its own mould. Before the clay goes in, the mould is wetted — hence “waterstruck” — which stops the clay sticking to the timber or steel sides and lets it release cleanly once formed. The clay is then pressed into the mould under pressure, taking on the exact shape of the mould cavity while the wet surface picks up every grain, fold, and imperfection of the mould itself.

That single step — individual moulding rather than continuous extrusion — is what gives waterstruck bricks their character. Where an extruded brick has a flat, mechanically smooth face, a waterstruck brick has a soft, slightly creased texture with natural undulations across the surface. Combined with clinker firing — the higher, harder-fired end of the brick spectrum, known for its dense body and deep, sometimes near-vitrified colour tones — you get a brick that reads as genuinely old, genuinely made, in a way mass-produced units simply can’t replicate.

Why Clinker Firing Matters

“Clinker” refers to bricks fired at the top end of the kiln temperature range, often positioned closest to the firebox in traditional kilns where the heat is most intense. This higher firing drives the clay closer to vitrification, producing a denser, harder brick with lower water absorption and greater durability than a standard-fired unit. It also produces the deep, sometimes almost glassy colour variation clinker bricks are known for — dark plums, near-blacks, bronzes, and burnt tones that shift subtly from brick to brick and even face to face on the same brick.

Paired with the waterstruck texture, the result is a brick with genuine depth and character — the kind of finish that comes from traditional craft, made and fired specifically for your project.

Bespoke, Made to Order

Every waterstruck clinker brick we produce is made to order rather than pulled from generic stock. That means the colour blend, the texture intensity, and the exact specification of a run can be tailored to a specific project rather than a project having to work around whatever’s available off the shelf. If you’re matching the textural finish and colour range for a new design, that’s the kind of brief this process is built for.

Sizes and Formats

Many different formats are available including our best selling long, slim 290 × 90 × 52mm and 290 × 90 × 40mm bricks, and we can now also offer an extra-long slim option in 490 × 90 × 52mm and 490 × 90 × 40mm.

Beyond these standard sizes, we also produce a range of alternative profiles and custom shapes on request. If your project requires curved brick or special shapes, our bespoke production process means we can develop it — the same individual-mould, water-struck method applied to whatever format the design requires.

The Bottom Line

Waterstruck clinker bricks exist for projects where “brick” needs to mean more than a uniform, mass-produced unit — where texture, colour depth, and genuine handmade character are part of the brief. Made individually, fired hard, and produced bespoke to order in traditional European sizes — 290 × 90 × 52mm, 290 × 90 × 40mm, and the extra-long 490 × 90 × 52mm and 490 × 90 × 40mm — plus custom profiles and sizes on request, this is brickmaking done the way it was done before speed became the priority.

Get in touch with us and we’ll talk through colour blend, texture, format, and lead time for a bespoke run.

For more information

Jaco Bricks

The post Waterstruck Clinker Bricks: Traditional Craft, Made to Order appeared first on Completehome.

Jaco Bricks’ Ring Oven clinker collection is produced in one of the last operating Hoffmann ring kilns in Europe. Ring kilns once defined brick production worldwide, but everyone in Australia has long since closed. Today, this method of manufacture has become exceptionally rare — and it produces colours, textures and character that modern tunnel kilns simply cannot recreate.

Fired the Traditional Way

Invented by Friedrich Hoffmann in 1858, the ring kiln revolutionised brickmaking with a continuous firing process that dramatically reduced fuel consumption while enabling consistent production. For more than a century, it was the standard firing method across much of the world.

Modern tunnel kilns have since replaced ring kilns almost everywhere, prized for their speed, automation and output. But something was lost in that transition. Tunnel kilns excel at consistency. Ring kilns excel at individuality.

Every firing within a ring kiln can be shaped by how the bricks are stacked, their position within the kiln, firing temperature, airflow, and the addition of coal or salt. Hundreds of different loading patterns and firing recipes are possible, much of the work still carried out by hand. The result is a depth of colour, subtle tonal variation and richly textured surface that emerges naturally during firing — not through artificial treatment or surface finishing.

No two bricks are exactly alike.

A Contemporary Building That Feels Historic

One of the best examples of these bricks in practice is the award-winning Piccolo House on Gore Street, Fitzroy.

Designed by Woods Bagot with interiors by Hecker Guthrie for developer Piccolo House, the project sits within one of Melbourne’s most historic brick precincts. Fitzroy is renowned for its nineteenth-century warehouses, terraces and industrial buildings, with weathered red brick forming much of the suburb’s identity. The challenge for a new building here was not to imitate that history, but to belong within it.

Our Ring Oven Waterstruck bricks provided the answer.

The subtle variation in colour, texture and surface allowed the new building to sit comfortably alongside its historic neighbours, with a richness and depth typically associated with masonry that has weathered for generations. Many people assume the bricks are reclaimed or original nineteenth-century masonry. They are not — they are newly manufactured, using one of the world’s last traditional Hoffmann ring kilns still in operation.

It’s a powerful demonstration that authentic materials can help contemporary architecture respect its context without resorting to imitation.

Internationally Recognised Design

The architectural quality of Piccolo House has been recognised through numerous Australian and international awards, including:

• Winner — National Development of the Year, The Urban Developer Awards for Industry Excellence (2026)
• Winner — Development of the Year, Medium-Density Residential (40+) (2026)
• Commendation — Residential Architecture, Multiple Housing, Victorian Architecture Awards (2026)
• Shortlisted — Multi-Residential Building Award, INDE Awards (2026)
• Finalist — Completed Buildings (Housing), World Architecture Festival (2026)

These awards recognise the architecture as a whole, but they also point to the role that authentic, carefully selected materials play in buildings of lasting quality.

Preserving Living Industrial Heritage

Operating a traditional ring kiln is neither the fastest nor the easiest way to manufacture bricks. Much of the process remains labour-intensive, relying on knowledge and skill passed down through generations. Maintaining more than 130 years of brickmaking tradition is both a responsibility and a commitment to preserving a significant part of industrial heritage.

As modern manufacturing continues to pursue greater efficiency and uniformity, the ring kiln represents something increasingly valuable: craftsmanship. It proves that some qualities cannot be engineered through automation. They have to be created through time, experience and traditional methods.

Building with Character

Architects often speak about creating buildings with permanence, authenticity and a sense of place. Materials are fundamental to achieving that.

Ring Oven bricks offer a depth of colour, tactile texture and natural variation that modern manufacturing struggles to reproduce. They allow contemporary buildings to feel grounded within their surroundings, developing even greater character as they age.

For projects where material authenticity matters, traditional ring-fired brickwork remains one of architecture’s most enduring and distinctive choices.

For more information

Jaco Bricks

The post Ring Oven Clinker Bricks: A Craft Modern Brickmaking Cannot Replicate appeared first on Completehome.

This article covers what brick slips actually are, why they’ve become the go-to solution for so many renovation and new-build projects, and where they work best.

What Are Brick Slips?

A brick slip is simply a brick that has been sliced to a fraction of its original depth — typically anywhere from 15mm up to 40mm or more, depending on the application. Because every slip in our range is cut from the same clay body as the full brick, you get the same face texture, the same colour variation, and the same durability. Nothing about the finished wall gives away the fact that it’s a slip rather than a solid unit.

The detail that sets a genuinely good brick slip system apart is the corner. Anyone can clad a flat wall convincingly — the challenge is the external corner, where a butt joint instantly reveals a thin veneer. That’s why our range includes purpose-made corner slips, folded or mitred to wrap around an edge exactly as a full brick would. With correct corner detailing, there’s no visual clue anywhere on the elevation that you’re not looking at solid masonry.

Why Choose Slips Over Solid Brick?

Weight. A slip weighs a fraction of a full brick, because you’re only carrying the facing depth rather than the full unit. That difference matters hugely on structures that were never designed to carry the load of a traditional masonry skin — timber frame extensions, SIPs panels, steel-framed upper storeys, and lightweight infill panels can all be finished in brick without the foundation and structural work a solid brick skin would demand.

Application flexibility. Because slips are so much thinner, they can go where a full brick physically can’t. Reveals, soffits, tight cavities, and internal features are all straightforward with a slip, whereas a full brick would either not fit or would need the surrounding structure rebuilt around it.

Speed and disruption. Slips are fixed with adhesive or a mechanical fixing system rather than built up course by course with a trowel and mortar bed for every joint. On a renovation where the building is occupied, or on an upper-level cladding job accessed by scaffold, that difference in install time and mess is significant.

Any thickness, any finish. Because we cut slips to order from our full range, you’re choosing from the same palette of colours, textures, and weathered finishes as our solid bricks — and specifying the exact thickness the project calls for, rather than being limited to one standard veneer profile.

Where Brick Slips Work Best

Cladding upper levels. This is one of the most common applications we supply for. A ground floor built in solid brick and an upper floor or dormer extension in timber frame is a familiar sight on renovated and extended homes — and it’s usually because the structure below can’t take the additional load of solid brick that high up. Slips solve this cleanly: the upper level reads as continuous brickwork with the ground floor, with none of the structural loading concerns.

Renovation projects. Older buildings often come with walls that are structurally sound but cosmetically tired, uneven, or built from a material you’d rather not expose. Slips let you overlay a genuine brick finish onto an existing wall — block, render, timber stud, even damaged brickwork — without demolition, without altering the building’s footprint, and without the weeks of programme time a rebuild would need.

Soffits. Brick soffits — the underside of an opening, archway, or overhang — are notoriously difficult to build in solid brick, since you’re effectively laying bricks upside down and relying on temporary support while the mortar cures. A slip system, fixed mechanically or with adhesive to a prepared soffit board, achieves the same visual result with a fraction of the risk and site time.

Flooring. Slips aren’t limited to walls. Laid as a floor finish — in porches, courtyards, garden rooms, or feature areas inside a building — they bring the same warm, textured brick appearance to a horizontal surface, sealed and jointed to suit foot traffic.

Pre-existing walls. Whether it’s disguising a patched-up wall, unifying an extension with the original building, or simply refreshing a dated elevation, slips let you dress an existing wall in genuine brick without touching the structure behind it.

The Bottom Line

Brick slips exist to solve a specific problem: how do you get the look, texture, and permanence of solid brick on a structure, in a location, or on a timeline that solid brick simply can’t accommodate? With slips cut from our full brick range — including matching corner slips — and a choice of thickness to suit the job, the answer is a finish that’s visually indistinguishable from solid masonry, at a fraction of the weight and installation time.

If you’re planning a renovation, an upper-storey extension, or need to bring brick into an area solid units can’t reach, get in touch and we’ll help you specify the right slip, thickness, and corner detail for your project.

For more information

Jaco Bricks

The post Brick Slips: The Real Brick Look, Without the Weight appeared first on Completehome.

1. Modern Minimalist Facade

Flat rooflines, geometric massing, and a restrained material palette (usually two or three materials max) define this look. Large format windows and hidden gutters keep the eye on the architecture itself rather than the details.

2. Scandinavian Barn

Think white or soft grey timber-look cladding, black window frames, and warm timber accents around the entry. It’s minimalist but softer than pure modernism, cozy rather than cold.

3. Industrial Charm with Exposed Brick

Exposed or reclaimed brick paired with black steel-framed windows and dark metal trim gives a converted-warehouse feel, even on a suburban block. Add a steel canopy over the entry for extra edge.

4. Mediterranean Facade

Warm cream or terracotta-toned with textured cladding panels, arched doorways, wrought-iron details, and terracotta paints bring a sun-soaked, relaxed feel. Climbing vines or potted olive trees complete the look.

5. Modern Farmhouse

Board-and-batten cladding in white or soft grey, black window frames, a covered porch, and a gabled roofline. This style balances rustic warmth with contemporary simplicity and remains one of the most popular facade trends for good reason.

6. Clad Roofline Detailing

Don’t overlook the roof. Exposed rafter tails, deep eaves, or a butterfly roofline can be as defining a feature as the cladding below it.

7. Coastal Cladding

Light, breezy cladding built to handle salt air is the hallmark of coastal style: whitewashed or grey-toned timber shiplap, cedar shingles, or marine-grade aluminum composite panels. Corrosion-resistant fixings and fiber cement (rather than raw steel) are worth the upgrade near the water, since salt spray accelerates rust and timber decay. Pair with white or black window frames and a wraparound porch or deck for the full beach-house feel.

8. Japandi Cladding

Japandi blends Japanese restraint with Scandinavian warmth. Clean horizontal lines, minimal trim, and deep eaves for shadow lines are key, the goal is quiet, natural materials left to age gracefully rather than anything glossy or ornate. Warm timber battens around the entry soften the darker cladding elsewhere.

9. Cottage Core facade

Cottagecore leans into softness and imperfection: weathered timber, or hand-textured render-look cladding in warm creams and dusty pastels. shingles on a bay window or dormer add storybook charm, and a climbing rose or wisteria trained along the cladding finishes the look. Small-paned windows and a stable-style or arched front door pair well with the softer materials.

10. Bold Black Exteriors

Matte black cladding has become a favorite for making a striking, contemporary statement. It photographs beautifully and pairs well with warm timber accents to avoid feeling too severe.

The post 10 Home Façade Ideas appeared first on Completehome.

Overlooking the bay on the coast of Lower Hutt, New Zealand, sits a striking American lodge-inspired building with high vaulted ceilings and luxurious open spaces.  A generous pool is mounted into the deck with an ample entertainment area that flows from inside the home to the outdoors. This design is the work of Luke Hammington, Director and founder of Prime Designs. The business, founded in 2014, has established itself firmly in the Wellington region, working with clients to create great homes at a reasonable price point.

The York Bay home is an elegant example of synergy between client and designer, with the client contributing heavily in the design process. “She had a very clear idea of the style she wanted and what she wanted out of it.” Luke explains, “She came in with a Pinterest board full of American and Canadian lodges, hunting lodges, that sort of thing. Those really big wooden, beautiful timber, big grand lodges. So, our key was to try and replicate that but in compliance with the NZ Building Code.”

The project was a technically challenging one with structural issues due to the location. Being situated in a picturesque location overlooking the bay unfortunately included the hillside consisting of approximately 4 metres of soft earth. With the client’s brief including a large outdoor deck and outdoor pool the Prime Designs team worked with a geotechnical engineer and a structural engineer to find a feasible solution onsite that met the structural needs, but also took into account the client’s budget.

Selecting the Perfect Roof

Material choices on the exterior were key to achieving the American-lodge style vision for this project. Schist cladding lines the lower part of the exterior wall, leading into batten board cladding, finished with cedar shingles sitting beneath the roof gables. The roof is a complex structure with a multitude of gables, valleys, and hips installed over different storeys.

“A corrugate roof or any kind of longrun profile just wouldn’t have looked right on this house. It needed to be some kind of tile or shingle or shake style, so naturally that kind of brings you to look at steel tile.” Explained Luke, “We thought about actual cedar shingle or Cambrian slate tiles, but they posed a whole lot of extra hassle and cost. Their weight meant a whole lot of extra engineering work, while going with a metal tile would give us the look without worrying about weight. It just made sense to go with a steel tile because it has the look we were after, fewer issues, and a bonus was that it was significantly more cost effective.”

After reviewing the options, Gerards’ Shake Profile steel pressed tile was chosen for the York Bay home, with its design reminiscent of traditional shake roofing materials.

The design of the roof evolved over time, with the original design looking more like a traditional two storey house without the imposing gables that cut into the main ridge space. However, Luke felt that to capture the character of the client’s brief, the roof needed to make a bold statement. American hunting lodges are characterised by their large gables, high roofs, and use of wide-open spaces. With the site’s strict height in relation to boundary rules, and a maximum eight metre height limit, the design had to recreate this atmosphere while being constrained within the rules. An amazing multi-level, complex roof was designed to allow for extensive internal spaces and the desired impact of an imposing exterior.

Built to Perform in Extreme Conditions

This design came with a few hurdles to overcome. “There were some parts that were one and a half storey height roofs, so they were coming out at mid storeys rather than a full two storey faces. So, from a structure point of view there were a few challenges around making that work but probably from a construction point of view, there were a large number of hips and valleys in the roofs to give the look that we came up with.” Luke explains, “The roof was a big job, and a critical part to get right.”

With the site being in an exposed position overlooking the harbour in Lower Hutt, considerations had to be made not only over design, but in material choice. With Wellington’s renowned wind conditions, being able to withstand wind loadings were important. The Stratos tiles chosen have been proven to withstand wind speeds of up to 350kph in testing conducted by the James Cook University in Townsville, Australia.

This resilience against wind is due to the tile’s unique design allowing fastenings to be applied horizontally at right angles to the wind’s lifting forces. Additionally, the interlocking installation manner creates a matrix of steel tiles tightly locked together to create a single structural unit. This results in a very lightweight yet robust roof with a high strength-to-weight ratio.

To match the grandiose exterior, the interior had to be equally opulent. When creating the original design, Luke suggested a double height void in the living areas, to recreate the spacious atmosphere characteristic of American lodges. Although the client originally preferred to use the space for a bedroom instead, she decided Luke’s original idea suited her vision better, and the designs were redrawn. Both the client and Luke agree this was the right decision with this becoming a focal piece of the design.

“I quite like when you come in the front door, you look up and you see an open stairwell to your left and then you see a bridge along the top.” Luke explains “Then you see the double height void past the bridge. I think that’s all quite spectacular.”. The roof of the main living area is cleverly designed as a skillion roof, but interior decorative beams are overlaid, imitating bulky structural beams. This allows for the continuation of the lodge aesthetic, while reducing cost.

A Home That Delivers on Every Level

The interior was beautifully styled by the client herself. This was a key element of the project, drawing the aspects of the building and design together to create an impactful first impression. Luke affirms “The client had a great eye and followed through on the styling right down to the last detail. The fitout was completed so well and really matched the styling, which really made the project stand out to me”.

The ambitious project stands completed, with its impressive gables overlooking the bay. And though Luke and the team at Prime Designs have many other projects on the go, he remembers this project fondly saying “The project turned out really awesome. If you look back on the original ideas and where we got to, it was amazing.” Reflecting on the client’s feedback, “The client was definitely stoked with the overall outcome; all the products and the overall design ended up delivering on her original vision, and the roof was a critical part of that.”

Project credits

Architect: Prime Designs
Roof manufacturer: Gerard

Be inspired by more Gerard projects:

• The House on the Hill – Completehome
• The Big Cottage with a Small Footprint – Completehome
• Elevating Coastal Living with a Modern Roof Transformation – Completehome

The post Lodge charm in coastal New Zealand appeared first on Completehome.

Words Carrol Barker

Where we live defines who we are, what matters to us, and what we love. A well- designed home caters to those who live there, offering warm and welcoming spaces that promote wellness, sustainable living and design innovation.

You’re the boss

The home office has evolved into a thoughtfully designed area that can become a dream workspace. Well- designed workspaces are all about style and comfort. They support wellbeing and productivity and effortlessly integrate with the home environment. From purpose-built office spaces to artfully designed nooks, converted garages and even multipurpose spaces that cleverly combine living/bedroom spaces, the modern home office is transforming the way we live and work.

To get those creative juices flowing, most work from home offices need light, airflow and comfortable furniture like an ergonomic desk and chair. Measures to control temperature, noise and distractions might also be high on your wish list.

Claire Richardson, interior designer from Revel Design, says storage and smart space planning are key, too. “These zones become hubs that double and triple as workspace, storage zone and often a meeting room,” she says. “Having a space for everything from spare cords to favourite photos keeps the room feeling calm, functional and unmistakably yours.”

Whether you’d like a touch of glamour, a low-key minimalist vibe or a quirky bohemian or botanical feel, creating a space that reflects who you are is important. When designing your
workspace, there are some fundamental questions you need to answer.

Kat Prowse, architect from Revel Design, says key things she asks clients include how often they work there, and will it be used by other family members. “You also need to determine if there will be multiple monitors or will a small laptop suffice, and also if the client does a lot of online meetings,” notes Kat.

Is yours a full-time work from home gig, or do you just need a quiet space for your new side hustle? All of these things factor into the equation. Home office design is all about curating spaces that are functional and feel good.  There is a plethora of options.

Sam Crawford from Sam Crawford Architects says a sun-filled loft can act as a study, sitting room or overflow sleeping space for overnight guests. “In our Clovelly House project, the spatial qualities of each room are the focal point,” he says. “For example, the raked ceiling in the new loft is lined with plywood, strategically selected to reduce glare from the coastal views.”

In Sam’s Waverley House project, a purpose-built study was designed in the parents’ retreat for two professionals to work from home. “With beautiful built-in desks, storage and bookshelves, all in the same timber used throughout the house, and views  to the garden through large windows, the space is a calm retreat to study and work,” shares Sam.

If you are short on space, there are clever ways to integrate a work zone into other areas. An area tucked under the stairs can become a stylish open-plan home office, utilising otherwise wasted space. Is there a quiet spot under a sunny window you could pop a desk? If you have a long rumpus room, snip off a section, add a dividing wall and sliding barn doors. When not in use it can be reclaimed as part of the rumpus. Create a stylish niche at the end of a hallway, add a generous lick of paint, some modern furniture and a potted plant.

Sam says if space is hard to come by, then a desk able to be concealed behind cupboard doors will often suffice. “This allows the workspace to be shut off from the living area and work to be set aside at the end of the day,” he notes.

Snooze time

Your bedroom should be a restful space offering respite from the pressures of everyday life. The bedroom is where you press pause on work and family issues, it’s a place to rejuvenate and restore. The bedroom is also where your day begins and ends. How the in between bits play out can depend on getting a good night’s sleep.

Creating your own private and restful sanctuary begins with light, air flow and ambience. Claire says window location and coverings that allow privacy when you need it are important. “You also need good access to daylight and aspect when you want it, and the ability to block it out when you don’t,” she says.

A striking bedhead takes a bedroom to the next level. Consider an upholstered bedhead that elevates the space and adds subtle sophistication. Gas-lift storage beds are the ultimate in extra storage for apartment living. Think of it as having a whole wardrobe under your bed.

When choosing bedroom furniture, source pieces that evoke an emotional response. A point to note: resist the urge to scoop up a whole matching bedroom suite at a department store. Your bedroom furniture doesn’t have to be all matchy matchy. The exception is matching bedside tables. Those with multi drawers offer places to store things you might want and keeps the top clutter- free.

Add lashings of comfort with soft sumptuous bedding. Tap into textural accents with wallpaper and textured paint. Choose colours that soothe, like soft blues and dewy greens. Add warm neutral hues and a dash of colour with a feature wall and colour accents. A textured rug in natural fibres under the bed adds layered luxury.

A beautiful upholstered occasional chair offers a place to curl up with a book or to sit while you pop on your shoes. Finally, when designing your bedroom space, don’t forget to look up. After all, while you’re lying in bed, the ceiling is what you’ll see. Choose stunning feature lighting for the finishing touch.

Your children’s bedrooms need to evolve as they grow. A designer Disney character bed won’t go the distance. Invest in a quality bed with neutral tones to take your child through to their early teens. Claire says flexible storage is also important, with well-considered and varied wardrobe spaces that adapt as kids grow. “Having a display space is also important, on the top of low-height drawers or wall-mounted shelving, as it provides somewhere to store books and to display treasures at each stage,” she says.

An often-overlooked aspect of kids’ bedrooms is flooring. According to Claire, a quality floor is great for play space. “As well as excellent climate control, it helps the bedroom become a
space that you and your child will want to spend time in,” she points out.

Kids love sleepovers, and they also enjoy bunking in with each other. Architect Clinton Cole from CplusC Architects + Builders says for bedroom flexibility, integrating oversized operable doors (like solid bifold “walls” between adjoining children’s rooms) works well. “This allows rooms to be opened up to make one large shared area for playtime or sleepovers, effectively giving you a ‘barracks of beds’,” he says. This approach ensures the house remains highly responsive to the occupants’ changing lifestyle and has multi-purpose uses for the children as they grow.

Overall, shapeshifting spaces allow for more design flexibility. A bedroom can become a home office, a play space, a grown-up’s retreat, a teenage hang spot or whatever you want it to be.

Game on

Modern play spaces at home are becoming an integral part of home design. You’ll find stylish home gyms, wellness spaces, cool kids play areas, cosy media rooms and tech-savvy spaces with the latest in sound and gaming gear. Outdoors it’s all about active living, where the whole gang can bounce, romp and play to get those feel-good endorphins flowing.

Embracing wellness has become the new catch cry of modern-day living. Kat says it’s spilling over into home design with more homeowners wanting to include home gyms, saunas and even ice baths. “These are pretty fun spaces to design,” says Kat.

“We are drawing inspiration from day spas for a more luxury minimal gym and spa vibe, and using lots of light timbers, raw concrete and soft flooring.” Kat adds the key to a great at-home gym design is keeping it simple and calm, with adequate ventilation so there’s plenty of air movement.

An adjoining sauna or ice bath keeps the exercise space corralled together. While your gym space is light-filled and well ventilated, Kat says the sauna or ice bath has a different vibe. “These naturally suit a darker, moodier aesthetic, reinforcing that sense of retreat,” she advises.

With sleek and sophisticated exercise equipment, zen spaces with soft filtered light designed for yoga and Pilates are becoming more popular.

Taking it up a notch, to create the ultimate home theatre entertaining space the whole family can enjoy, there are a few key ingredients. These include comfort, good design and acoustics. Steve Van Sluyter, managing director of SpectraFlora, believes speaker placement is less important than hi-fi enthusiasts might emphasise. “More important is finding spaces for speakers and a TV that are unobtrusive and look good,” he says.

There is one important component, however. “Speakers should have what’s called constant directivity — the ability to project higher frequencies evenly so that reflections off walls retain a natural sound,” says Steve. When choosing your speakers, he points out this doesn’t
necessarily mean choosing the best global brand speakers at a chain store. “Take the time to find outstanding boutique speakers — their sound is on a completely different level and is transformative,” he notes.

Thin profiles in modern TVs mean they can be wall-mounted for a modern minimalist look. It also frees up floor space. In your media room, add a soft rug, beanbags, plush chairs and throws to make the room feel cosier and more intimate, and it will also help with the acoustics.

The modern rumpus room has evolved over the last few decades. Sam says it was once what he describes as a “found space” — a room that occupied leftover space, under the house or at the back of the garage. “As Australia has become more affluent and technology has entered our homes, rumpus rooms have evolved into media rooms and second living rooms where not just kids, but also adults happily entertain guests,” he says.

They can be beautifully designed purpose-built spaces. “Our Kurraba Point studio is a breakout living studio for teenagers that replaced a disused run-down garage,” reveals Sam. “The teenagers can hang out, watch TV and exercise on gym equipment in their own space, yet there’s a visual and material connection to the main house through steel-framed glazed windows and doors.”

Taking it outside, family play spaces that encourage movement and activity will always be a winner. Think trampolines the kids can bounce on, a swimming pool they can splash about in, and play areas they can explore and use their imagination.

If your home has a small footprint and you want to create outdoor family play spaces, the solution is to go up. “Rooftops are a winner, providing both a productive garden space (growing the family’s fruit and veggies, plus composting) and an elevated outdoor living room,” enthuses Clinton.

This article was originally published in Grand Designs Australia 14.6.

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