| 109 Osborn Brothers BUILDING 12 Elles Road Strathern, Invercargill Ph: 03 219 9000 mitre10.co.nz 0800 M10 TRADE Proud to support Osborn Brothers Ltd OPEN 7 DAYS FOR ALL YOUR BUILDING SUPPLIES windows & doors made here for here 03 488 0466 sales@fisherwindowsdn.co.nz 10 Midland Street, Dunedin @fisherwindowsotago T T Russell Fredric No site too steep... The property is sited amid a bush-clad paradise, with the house positioned to make the most of its enviable outlook. A steep, bush-clad site near Stewart Island’s Acker’s Point is proving a fitting challenge for Osborn Brothers as it builds a compact holiday retreat. Closer to the lighthouse than the township, the property is sited amid a bush-clad paradise, with the house positioned to make the most of its enviable outlook. Managing director Tom Osborn says the project came through word of mouth, building on the Dunedin company’s experience of working on Stewart Island. The roughly 90sqm home comprises three pavilion-like forms, linked at angles to wrap around the hill. The central pavilion contains the kitchen, dining and living area, while the two wings accommodate a bedroom and bathroom at one end and the master bedroom and ensuite at the other. Large areas of glazing face the outlook, with the pavilions arranged to capture the sun, aspect and views. Covered and open decking, a study, mud room, laundry and practical storage complement the compact plan, while a log burner and solar generation reinforce its role as a remote retreat. “The idea is that it’s a forest cabin retreat,” says Tom. That character carries through the material palette, with thermally modified timber planned for the exterior and plywood linings inside, detailed with black negative joints. Corrugated roofing and timber decking complete the simple exterior, with engineered timber flooring and plywood ceilings and walls inside. During early excavation, the team encountered a boulder too large to remove, forcing the house to be shifted about six to eight metres from its original position. Access is via a drive cut through about 400 metres of bush from the road end. Large components such as frames and trusses could not travel up the track, so they were transported by freight boat and then lifted by helicopter. “Anything that was too big to put on the back of a Hilux basically had to be helicoptered, so the frames and trusses were helicoptered, and then with that, the logistics around that, we had to organise a lot of moving parts,” Freight planning has to work around the island’s twice-weekly freight service, with bulky materials ordered well ahead. Smaller items can travel by plane or ferry, but a missing piece of timber can leave a job waiting several days. The extensive glazing presented another bracing challenge, prompting Osborn Brothers to use Prolam timber portal frames which form the front of each pavilion and create the large gabled, cathedral-style ceilings. “We used, for the first time, the Pro-Lam system, and it was excellent, especially on the island, because it’s timber, so it’s way lighter, so in terms of being able to transport it, and work with, it’s so much easier than steel.” Building began in March after wet weather delayed the construction of the access road with the house now roofed, glazed and weather-tight for winter. The team will return in October to complete the interior and finishing work, with completion expected in February 2027. Osborn Brothers has been building on Stewart Island for about five or six years, typically undertaking one project a year over the summer months, and being Dunedin-based means it has developed strong expertise in building on steep and challenging sites. Its wider work centres on architectural new builds and higher-end finishing, with qualified joiners employed in-house for kitchens, wardrobes and other joinery. “We used, for the first time, the Pro-Lam system, and it was excellent, especially on the island, because it’s timber, so it’s way lighter.” 03 526 7436 prolamnz.com 03 526 7436 prolamnz.com SupportingOsborne Brothers to buildwith strength, confidence and ease with premium engineered timber solutions such as the PLX Portal.
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