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? [...]
I have been spending a bit of time in the garden recently as it bursts back into life. While listening to the spring rain falling on the roof, there was also a quiet satisfaction knowing that I was collecting that rainwater and directing it into the Bailey SlimJim tank, which I had installed behind the [...]
For those of you that know me well, one of the most rewarding aspects of working on heritage houses, has given me the insight and the skills, plus the ability of the original builders and the materials they used. I imagine that the early carpenters who began building villa’s, using Kauri would have been amazed [...]
Who would have thought that the large plastic water tanks that you see dotting the New Zealand rural landscape can be given a new life? Well, they can. In fact, Bailey’s Tanks commitment to sustainability is at the heart of everything they do. You could say it all starts in the factory and ends on [...]
You may have heard me recently discuss some products from Simple Green. I like to know about the products I use, so here is what I found out. The challenge Simple Green was founded in 1975 by a Californian father and son trying to create a food-safe cleaner for removing tannic acid from coffee vending [...]
If you are at home, looking at your garden or drive way, thinking…”gosh with all this rain I need to sort out that boggy area”, Black Snake drainage coil is the solution for you. Black Snake drainage coil is a sub-soil drainage solution that allows water to filter into the pipe via the slots punched [...]
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 [...]
Render has been a popular finish for literally decades in NZ, and we found clever examples of render in the old villa we renovated in 2020. The original fireplace had a decorative render around the fireplace opening, with a piped grout line that was then painted over. Once we got underway with the restoration of [...]
Like many Kiwi’s, we bought a “do-up” many years ago. Along with a number of “character” features like holes in the roof, walls on a lean and a bathroom in the hallway there was the fact that the downpipes discharged directly into the combined stormwater and sewer system. Well, some of them did, the rest [...]
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 [...]
