80 | A Knight Design and Build BUILDING Eco-friendly emphasis on the rise This classic house is a typical example of A Knight Design and Build’s high quality workmanship and attention to detail. T T Kelly Deeks After 20 years in business, bespoke new home builder A Knight Design and Build is leaning into eco-friendly, high performance construction as the market trends towards warm, healthy, and sustainable homes. A Knight Design and Build is based in the small but growing community of Waihi Beach. Here the team gets to undertake a variety of residential housing projects, from small renovations to large scale architecturally designed homes and everything in between. Company founder and director Adam Knight says Waihi Beach provides a variation of work that keeps the job exciting and allows the team to develop their skill sets. Adam started doing design and build after being regularly approached by clients with plans that weren’t within their budgets. “So I started to get involved in their projects from an earlier stage,” he says. “Having input into the design has allowed us to get these projects over the line, and make sure buildability is considered early on. In this coastal environment I can recommend products that are going to work well in the environment they’re sitting in, and we can implement products which might be cheaper or more environmentally friendly.” Adam says by the beach, waterproofing and sandproofing are vital components of a new home, as is orientation to catch the northern sun and allow for passive heating. Outdoor entertainment areas need shelter from the exposed climate on the coast. “A lot of the renovations we do are putting decks on to the back of houses where you’re not being pounded by the sun.” On a recent projects, A Knight Design and Build’s input into the design has helped to create a lasting home with the owner’s choice of sustainable features. With a timeless design and rusticated weatherboard cladding, solar panels with batteries,water retention tanks feeding the gardens, and a big piece of lawn for a volleyball court, the classic beach house is a typical example of A Knight Design and Build’s high quality workmanship and attention to detail. Initial challenges lay in the ground. “We were building in sand in an area labelled as a liquefaction zone, so there were a lot of engineering challenges through the job. Before we even started, I changed the engineering design to something more practical and cost-effective.” During the job, the team had the pleasure of delivering some great style decisions made by the client along the way. These included a large schist chimney which Adam was delighted to be able to build thanks to training with a stone mason in Wanaka earlier in his career. The fireplace is supported by a ducted heat pump system which runs off the solar panels for even more economical heating of the home. The home was built prior to the increase in H1 requirements but A Knight Design and Build has traditionally up-specced insulation to save clients on heating costs. With a large garage to store their boat, the entrance to this client’s home is on the second floor above the garage. A Knight Design and Build redesigned the entrance with large cantilevered concrete floating stairs up to the front door. Adam says as the company focuses on sustainable housing, he is introducing clients to solar panels and water retention tanks and using companies and products that align with green building practices. Adam’s team has been instrumental in the implementation of change and the young and keen in the team have some great ideas of their own. They gave Adam the idea to set up bins for recycling inside the skip, enabling a significant reduction in waste going to landfill. Your Business, Your Industry, Your News. Each edition priority delivered to your door. i i i i li . www.waterfordpress.co.nz/subscriptions . t f . . / i ti 03 983 5525 Stay informed; we work with business owners and decision-makers across all economic sectors, profiling their success. t i f r ; r it i r i i - r r ll i t r , r fili t ir . businessnorth
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