Custom Design
Mahoenui Valley Road, Coatesville
The house in Coatesville belongs to a couple with active social lives and a large family. Design by Rick Lambourne, the two wings of the house are joined by the living area, kitchen and south facing pantry. The ceiling in the living area is raking and the macrocarpa rafters and beams are exposed. The macrocarpa theme continues to the interior doors which are hand made traditional ledge and brace. The wings and living area enclose a sheltered north facing courtyard on which stands a chunky macrocarpa pergola shading the family table.
The walls are Timbercrete masonry blocks and cedar weatherboards clad the gable ends. Timbercrete is made up of clay, sand, cement and 50% is sawdust. This is great for thermal mass and insulation. The Timbercrete blocks coupled with double glazing in cedar joinery, a coloured concrete floor and good old fashioned eaves have produced a house with all the classic passive solar attributes, warm in winter and cool in summer. A sole wood burner in the living area provides additional winter warmth and via a wetback it supplements the solar water heating.