| 85 T T Sue Russell Stylish, affordable healthy homes Every FLiP home design is appropriate to site and circumstance, with an intrinsic level of ‘design thought’ put into it. FLiP Homes BUILDING Nick Officer is Design Manager at FLiP Homes, a national housing company with bases in Auckland and Wellington. FliP Homes began when three separate companies saw the benefit in collaborating their specific professional skill-sets to offer clients architectural, project management, civil works and construction disciplines under the one roof. Underpinning what they design and build is a commitment to constructing truly healthy, stylishly designed and cost efficient homes for their clients. “There are so many elements that go into creating a healthy comfortable home, from materials used, spatial design, proper ventilation to ensure air is constantly being renewed and not trapped behind walls where it can create unseen mould. Sadly, the NZ Building Code is a bare minimum and nowhere near what we consider to be acceptable in terms of building a healthy home.” As far as Nick’s concerned there is absolutely no reason why to deliver healthy comes at the expense of style and value for money. FLiP Homes has a number of plans available for prospective clients to consider and as part of the engagement process a first step is visiting the site and in understanding the lifestyle and the things that are important to the owner. In 2018 FliP designers First Light Studio put an entry into Prefab NZ’s Snug competition with an ingenious backyard dwelling that could ‘flip’ on itself to be either single or double storey. The design was chosen as one of six winners and the people’s choice winner and really was the start of what has now become FLiP’s niche – designing homes of modest size that don’t feel small, ideal for placement on backyards or infill situations in towns and cities. “FLiP has been a really interesting journey for us and things have come together quite quickly. In the first 2 ½ years the goal was to get the message out about the range of homes the company has designed. We also now have a range of 3 and 4 bedroom homes and we’ve developed a systemised approach to townhouses, so its a pretty exciting time for us.” In 2020, an opportunity arose to work with Kāinga Ora to developing nine 2 bedroom town houses and it was around this time that FliP evolved from a backyard house builder to a property developer. Following the sucessful (albeit COVID plauged) build of the first nine house, FLiP Homes are now developing a larger 20 home community in Mt Roskill, Auckland. The homes come in a variety of shapes and sizes “Sadly, the NZ Building Code is a bare minimum and nowhere near what we consider to be acceptable in terms of building a healthy home.” and anyone interested in finding out more can make contact through FLiP Homes website. Nick explains that FLiP Homes is set up as a social enterprise, driven by purpose and all working within it share a common belief that these times call for innovative thought and approach, while delivering exceptional quality. “We have the ability to tackle not just easy sites but challenging ones as well. Working out of Wellington, the ability to build houses on the sides of hills is very much a core skillset.” Every home FLiP designs is appropriate to site and circumstance, with an intrinsic level of ‘design thought’ put into it. Designing a home that feels bigger than its physical size is a special skill. Using volume, light with larger than standard windows all add to a sense of space. Sadly, Nick says, our building code has lagged 30 years behind the rest of the developed world when it comes to designing houses that are appropriate for our climetic conditions and the health of both our people and buildings. FLiP has a partnership with building scientists and ensures that it’s homes are rigourously tested against the highest of performance standards, in digital form before being built. “We have monitored our homes and we can absolutely evidence that our homes are healthy to live in with those who suffer from asthma, for instance, feeling immediate benefit from a warmer, drier, well-ventilated home.” The science that sits behind the design originates from Passivhaus in Germany which focuses on five key areas of the building design/construction – insulation, airtightness, high performance windows, ventilation, and thermal bridging. The outcome of a well designed homes has a real impact. It means healthier and happier people and a planet that benefits from houses that use up to 90% less energy over their lifetime. Manufactures of prenail frames, Pryda Span floor systems, trusses and prehung doors. quotes@championprenail.co.nz Building Made Easy KAPITI - 04 296 1727 | WELLINGTON - 04 568 2323 Domestic | Commercial | Industrial Electrical Contractors Ltd “Serious Electrical Contractors” FLiP Homes Proud suppliers of Electrical Services to: For their Residential Developments
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