Business Central February 2021

84 | Matthew Palmer Construction / Valhalla Living High-end, high reward Over 900 lineal metres of timber were used to create feature woodgrain panel detailing. BUILDING Based in Wellington, Matthew Palmer Construction offer a wide range of services, from small alterations to high end architectural builds, extensive renovations and polished executive homes. Please feel free to contact us anytime. Matthew Palmer Email: matt@matthewpalmer.nz | Mobile: 027 429 3868 www.matthewpalmer.nz Call Blair 021 256 0935 baceramics@xtra.co.nz No shortcuts in Passive Houses Karen Phelps Painters of choice for Valhalla Living Indecor Ltd Ross McCutcheon • 027 2389 663 • j afmccutcheon@xtra.co.nz Taupo David Jennings 021 760 871 david.jennings50@gmail.com Heat Pumps, Air Conditioning, Central Heating Residential and Commercial Heating Solutions I n order to build a Passive House you need a builder and an architect with the right mind set and qualifications working to- gether from the start of the project, says Kim Feldborg, director of Taupo based building company Valhalla Living. “All the heat losses and gains need to be carefully calculated in advance to the Passive House standards and this needs to be done on the drawing board. “When the building has started it is very difficult, and in some instances impossible, to correct and the result is that the client will not get the Passive House they asked for,” he says. Kim is a Licensed Building Practitioner and member of the Passive House Institute New Zealand and NZ Certified Builders. Originally hailing from Denmark Kim brings extensive experience of building in Europe and England. He started Valhalla Living in 2007 and is mainly kept busy building in Taupo but does offer consultation in Passive House building further afield. Established in Germany in the 1980s, Pas- sive House is a standard designed to reduce the ecological footprint of a building by focus- ing on low energy consumption. Passive Homes are designed to strict inter- national criteria focusing on air tightness and using high spec window technology not yet manufactured in New Zealand, high insulation values, a heat recovery ventilation system and thermal bridge-free construction. “A Passive House is a well-insulated, virtually airtight building with heat recovery ventilation that is primarily heated by passive gain. “This means that the building’s interior cli- mate can be maintained at a comfortable level without active heating and cooling systems so the house heats and cools itself,” explains Kim. “Thermal bridging is an important aspect and occurs where heat is transferred through material with a poor insulation value such as concrete in the floor slab or steel beams or even timber structure that is not insulated. “This commonly occurs at corners, connec- tions, windows and where insulation is inter- rupted. So thermal bridge-free construction Sue Russell covers everything from windows and internal steel beams not touching the timber framing, to insulating the footings and having the con- crete slabs sit on high density polystyrene.” A key advantage of building a home to Passive House standards is that the house will retain more heat over time meaning that less energy is needed to maintain temperature. “In traditional New Zealand houses, a substantial proportion of the space heating is needed to replace heat energy that has been lost through the walls, floor and roof. “By comparison, the temperature loss through the thermal envelope of a passive house is minimal and the combination of pas- sive heating and heat recovery ventilation pro- vides almost all of the warmth in the house. “Valhalla Living’s focused design and detail- ing, together with its experience and under- standing of passive house principles, means that we can build a new passive house which uses little or no heating and as a result a for- tune will be saved in energy bills,” says Kim. Apart from Passive House building Valhalla Living does undertake regular building work – new homes, renovations and light commercial renovations, alterations and fit outs. As an independent builder, the company offers a comprehensive plan to completion service, which includes initial planning, design, implementation and project management. Kim’s own home has been built as a Passive House and he regularly holds open days and gives seminars on the topic. Valhalla Living is due to start a new Passive House project in the new year. It will look like any other house but it won’t be. You can’t see a house is a Passive House but you can certainly feel it when you walk inside.” T hriving on a challenge and pursuing ex- cellence sets Matthew Palmer Construc- tion in good stead to offer a wide range of services to Wellington clientele, from small alterations to high end architectural builds and extensive renovations. Matthew Palmer Construction was estab- lished by a 24-year-old Matt in 2013. He says he has always been involved in high end architectural builds, even throughout his apprenticeship, where he started to create a really good reputation among local architects, engineers, and clientele. His business has grown quickly and is now a crew of eight, five qualified carpenters and two apprentices. As well as a skilled and experienced con- struction team, Matthew Palmer Construction uses a team of hand selected subcontractors. “We have chosen subcontractors we know we can trust, we know their workmanship, and they know our expectations,” Matt says. “This ensures our clients get an outstanding end result from everyone involved in their project.” Matt says he and the team are punctual, positive, and have the best workmanship in Wellington. They are dedicated to ensuring they create the very best finished product, and a stress free experience for each client. Between them they offer more than 50 years of experience in the high end architectural market, ranging from an 18 year old appren- tice to the oldest member of the team, 38. “We’re quite a young team, and when you’re working on hills and up steps in Wellington, that’s a good thing,” Matt says. A recent project in Melrose, while a techni- cal build with a split level foundation, cantile- ver slab, and hidden doors, its access was still the biggest challenge for the Matthew Palmer Construction team. “It’s a mile away from the street with about 80 steps and a 100m path- way. Everything demolished was carried out, and all of the excavation was done by hand.” But the stunningly gorgeous, Lovell and O’Connell Architects designed alteration is its own reward. Nestled in amongst the trees and overlooking Wellington bays, the complete transformation of an existing property has added a level and a half, the lower part clad in vertical shiplap and the upper matching the existing bevel back weatherboards. Inside, Matthew Palmer Construction used 900 lineal metres of timber to create feature woodgrain panel detailing, offset with con- crete interior steps. Matt says seeing the finished product after about 18 months of hard work is the type of job satisfaction the Matthew Palmer Construc- tion team experiences on a project by project basis. “We work a lot in that high end space and our projects are always finished to an extremely high level. We walk away from every single project feeling very proud, and very satisfied.” Matthew Palmer Construction is a Licensed Building Practitioner and a member of the Registered Master Builders Association. “A Passive House is a well-insulated, virtually airtight building with heat recovery ventilation that is primarily heated by passive gain.”