108 | Manson Building BUILDING Providing Professional Painting, Decorating & Wallpapering Services GET IN TOUCH TODAY 027 841 7400 info@dempsterpainting.co.nz WI NDOWS S OU T H L AND Fisher Windows Southland is proudly locally owned and operated. Come talk to our experienced team to discuss our top quality joinery for your home. 03 214 4566 • ricky@fisher-al.co.nz • rory@fisher-al.co.nz Willowview Building H.K Concrete Ltd Stamped Concrete Specialists PHIL HURRELL • Plain • Coloured • Exposed Agg • Cretecova • Free Quotes Quotes: CONTRACT MANAGER: Phil 487 9284 or 021 039 2874 Edgar 027 224 8685 All your trade needs 7 days a week www.mitre10.co.nz/trade trade.admin@megadunedin.co.nz Phone 03 455 3341 Willowview Building Proud to support Passive house progress The two-storey home occupies a steep harbour-side site. T T Russell Fredric Continuing family legacy of building excellence T T Russell Fredric Participating in New Zealand’s growing Passive House movement is helping Willowview Building deliver homes that prioritise year-round comfort, energy efficiency and meticulous construction standards. For owner Zac Dawson, a current project in Company Bay, Dunedin, represents his fifth Passive House build since establishing Willowview Building in 2016. Designed by local architectural designer Architype, the two-storey home occupies a steep harbour-side site, with its layout carefully planned to capture expansive views across Otago Harbour while meeting the demanding technical requirements of Passive House construction. The home features three bedrooms, an open-plan living area with a sloping ceiling, a butler’s pantry and an upper-level lounge that can also serve as an additional bedroom. Corrugated steel cladding is complemented by cedar detailing, while solar panels will add to the home’s energy performance. Zac’s introduction to Passive House construction came through an existing client after starting his business. “Conventional homes lose heat through air leakage and don’t perform as well thermally as they could. Not everyone can afford to build a Passive House, but if you can, they’re noticeably warmer and provide a higher standard of comfort.” A modest holiday home overlooking Lake Te Anau built by Manson Building proves a well-executed project can become a builder’s best advertisement. The four-bedroom home was one of the first houses built by Manson Building owner and licensed building practitioner Matty Manson after establishing the Otautau-based business in 2021. Designed as a straightforward family holiday home, the project focused on achieving quality, functionality and value without unnecessary complexity. Positioned to capture lake and mountain views, the home combines horizontal cedar timber cladding with vertical coloured steel corrugated iron, creating a contemporary appearance that sits comfortably within its surroundings. Large windows, expansive decking and an open-plan layout maximise the outlook, while the simple design helped keep the project within budget. Built as a holiday retreat, the brief was equally unpretentious. “Just a nice holiday home — cost-effective and tidy,” Matty says. Inside, a spacious kitchen, dining and living area opens toward the landscape, while neutral finishes, generous glazing and practical family spaces create a warm, welcoming environment. Bathrooms feature freestanding baths, frameless glass showers and custom cabinetry, while the separate laundry continues the home’s emphasis on practicality and quality detailing. The overall result is a contemporary retreat with a nod to the classic southern monopitch roof crib that feels both comfortable and enduring and was built with an equally modest budget. “The biggest thing is satisfying clients and giving them the best outcome.” The Te Anau build led directly to further work from the same client, including additional residential projects and renovations, while also opening other doors through word-ofmouth referrals. Based in Western Southland, Manson Building undertakes a wide variety of work throughout the region, including new homes, renovations, farm buildings and large agricultural sheds. Matty and his team regularly travel throughout the south servicing both rural and residential clients. Matty believes the company’s versatility reflects the way he learned the trade from his father, gaining experience across every stage of the building process from a young age. “We do a large scale of work from concrete to roofs to everything in the building aspect. We’re not just a framing crew waiting for the roofer or concrete placer to come in.” Manson Building employs two staff and is in the process of adding a third. Current projects include farm sheds, residential renovations and several houses in the pipeline, with future growth focused on building capacity while maintaining the company’s reputation for quality workmanship. The business traces its origins back to Matty’s late father, Philip Manson, a respected builder who worked throughout the region. Having accompanied his father to work as a young boy, Matty entered the trade at 16 and completed his apprenticeship in just twoand-a-half years, significantly faster than the industry norm. “I’d been going to work with Dad since I was five years old. When I started my apprenticeship, I already knew the basics.” When Matty established his own business, many of Philip’s long-standing clients became his first customers, providing a foundation from which he could build his own reputation. The knowledge and experience he gained working alongside his father continue to shape the business today, from the importance of quality workmanship through to the value of long-term client relationships. Originating in Germany, Passive House is an internationally recognised building standard that focuses on exceptional insulation, airtight construction, elimination of thermal bridging, high-performance windows and balanced mechanical ventilation with heat recovery. The result is a home that maintains an even indoor temperature while requiring very little energy for heating or cooling. While the principles sound straightforward, delivering them on site requires far greater precision than a conventional build. “The biggest difference is making sure everything is airtight as you go. It only takes a hole about the size of a 50-cent piece and, all of a sudden, you’ve failed your air test. It’s about being really diligent and aware as the build progresses, because it’s a lot harder to locate and reduce air leakage after the fact.” The Company Bay project illustrates that attention to detail. Airtight membranes wrap between floor levels, plywood air barriers are taped at every joint, and dedicated service cavities allow wiring and plumbing to be installed without compromising the building envelope. Two blower-door tests will be completed during construction to verify the home’s airtightness before certification. The steep site also presented challenges before the Passive House detailing began. Excavation uncovered extensive historic fill and brick rubble, requiring Zac to work closely with engineers to redesign foundations as solid ground was progressively located.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NDc2Mzg=