During winter, the thought of conserving water tends to be less of a priority given how much falls from the sky, but it is a great time to think of how we can use our rainwater tanks to mitigate the impact of sudden downpours on the public stormwater system.While it is more common now for [...]
Looking back, a few key events helped to shape my opinion around the usefulness of wearing safety footwear. Many years ago, on a Saturday afternoon, while working casually in my shed wearing completely unsuitable footwear, I almost took a decent chunk out of my toe with a circular saw I was using. Thereafter I [...]
Every effort we make, no matter how small, to move to a more sustainable future is worthwhile, in my opinion. While we often think about water tanks as being great big 25 or 30,000L tanks sitting in a paddock, the reality is that more and more tanks are being used in urban environments, and I [...]
I first encountered uPVC joinery in New Zealand over 25 years ago. We were doing an alteration to a rural property where the North American owners had committed themselves to using the best joinery they could find, which meant importing the joinery. Fast forward a quarter of a century and I'm delighted to see [...]
Some years ago, I was working with a client who wanted to add some sustainability focused features to their new build, something that was not common at the time. We added rainwater storage tanks to the new build for rainwater harvesting and re-use, however the compliance pathway was complex and there were many regulatory barriers [...]
I was looking through some plans the other day of a house that I built around 1991. It is a straight forward single storey, 3-bedroom house on a concrete slab with weatherboard cladding, long run roofing, standard aluminium joinery and single glazing. While the house is simple and robust and still stands today, when [...]
I had the opportunity the other day to be involved with the installation of a Bailey Bazooka culvert. It's actually the first time I've ever installed a culvert and it was great to work alongside experienced contractors, familiar with civil drainage work, who were able to offer up some advice to ensure that it installed [...]
Author: Resident Builder Peter Wolfkamp Date published: January 2023 Changes to the NZ Building Code regarding the energy efficiency of our homes were announced in 2021 and all changes will take effect by November 2023. When the H1 changes were announced, some of the public and construction industry responses were along the lines of “Why? [...]
When scenic Lake Ohau Quarters needed wall lining options, they searched for a product that was not only appealing to the eye, but one that would blend in with the stunning alpine backdrop. Triboard TGV was the premium solution with its unique tones and natural patterns. The warm tones of Triboard’s TGV finish in the [...]
Bryce McDermott from Resene Paints, has kindly provided some additional tips on storage and cleaning of brushes and rollers: BRUSHES Brushes should be cleaned after each use. If I am using water based paint I have two brushes. I use one and when I see a build-up of paint on it I put it in [...]
