Nowadays solar power and solar technology are concepts that sit at the forefront of our minds; as we all grow more conscious of ideas around sustainability and environmentally friendly choices. Most of our clients who come to us to design a new home, or extensive renovation, request that solar power be considered within the [...]
A warm roof is a little unconventional, but it solves many common problems. Basically, the difference between a warm roof and a conventional ‘cold’ roof, is that the insulation layer is on the outside of the framing, rather than in the ceiling space or between rafters. The roof cladding is installed directly over the insulation, [...]
The choices in cladding systems appear to be endless. When we start our designs, we have an image in mind of how we would like the building to appear. In Habitat’s case, we were aiming for a striking silhouette of the angular form. Therefore, the cladding had to be: Monolithic or with very subtle [...]
Love it or hate it, Pinterest has its uses. Pinterest is essentially an online scrapbook, where images can be saved (or 'pinned') into groups called 'Boards'. Images can come from a range of sources - scanned, uploaded photos, internet search photos, and perhaps the most popular - from within Pinterest itself. The beauty of [...]
It was an exciting day on site on last Tuesday when Nulook CHB delivered the first lot of our Aluminium Joinery to site. During the design phase of the project, we invested a lot of time selecting products that would ensure that Habitat would be a would be warm, dry and comfortable home. The [...]
NZ houses are typically constructed on one of two methods of foundation. The first is a concrete slab on the ground, which are usually 100mm thick with reinforcing mesh, and a perimeter footing. The second is a system of timber piles and bearers. Conventionally, all are constructed out of simple, treated, radiata pine. Habitat uses [...]
