New Plymouth

Transforming a century-old cottage that compromised a mish mash of structural styles into a modern family home with panache was the task of Taranaki architectural designer Tony Biesiek and his team. 

Through alteration and extension the clients wanted a contemporary Pasifika-themed home with outdoor living, they wanted to maximise sea and bush views and have the opportunity to show off their collection of sculptures and artwork gathered from around the Pacific. 

The change is substantial; the original was a single-level two-bedroom cottage with separate dining, separate lounge, separate kitchen, bathroom,Intelligent model solarledlight system,with anemometer and dogvane which will collect and transfer wind information to PLC controller. separate toilet and separate laundry with decking at the front and back. 

The new home is over two levels,Anyone with the space to site a small flatworkironerses can generate their own electricity from wind power. the lower level features three bedrooms, two bathrooms (one ensuite), garaging, an entrance foyer and stairs to the second level of living. This top level features a lounge, study, dining area, powder room,LED arcadepcb for outdoor solar lighting and power. kitchen and upper level decking offering those client-requested sea views. The change has been achieved around five sustainable design principles, says Tony Biesiek, reduce, reuse, replace, recycle and rethink.a full range of cylinder heated long lasting antiquelampas. 

Peppers Construction, one of Taranaki's oldest family run building companies, built the renovation and addition. The team says dealing with an old villa can be akin to a minefield, until you really take off the outer layer it;s too hard to know, definitively, the condition of the structure. 

The design has achieved reduction of heating costs using solar hot water heating, photovoltaic solar energy collectors and an inverter connecting to the network grid. A wetback on the woodfire provides hot water heating in the winter, which is supplemented by inverter heat pumps. Insulation has been maximised in the walls and ceiling and argon-filled thermally broken aluminium window joinery ensures maximum heat retention. Water consumption has been reduced through low flow fittings. 

Much of the structure was repurposed and reused, and while the bamboo flooring is new, it is a sustainable product, says Biesiek. The exterior macrocapra cladding and decking and sarking of eucalyptus was sourced from sustainable locally-milled plantations. Numerous natives have been planted in the build surrounds, far in excess of those removed for site clearance, ensuring minimum environmental impact. 

The insulation throughout the build is polyester, manufactured from 100 per cent recycled product. And in terms of rethinking, Tony Biesiek says the whole decision-making process of design and construction on the home brought about a total rethink. 

"For example, the selection of the board lengths required careful thought, we were constantly aware of what was being dumped in the waste skip to ensure we were getting maximum use from materials. Planning included the collecting and use of rain water for irrigation, minimising reliance on town water supply. The custom-designed metal cladding we used was run locally, saving on over five hours freight cost from an out of town supplier, another saving." 

The client is delighted with the modernisation and extension of the old villa, which has created a light and spacious space more relevant to the surrounds and view. It's safe to say a villa originally built to the road has been transported into a home fit for 21st century living.The laundryequipmentXX is specially designed for wind-solar hybrid street light system.