NZ Homes » Ridd Family Eco Home, Jacks Point, Queenstown

The Ridd Family Eco home is another great example of home that not only looks great, but is smart and efficient too. Built by Evolution, the home incorporates key energy efficient design features that help keep it at a steady healthy temperature all year around.

Who

Meadow, 38, teacher, mum, marketing, and assistant - you name it, I fit it in somewhere

Duncan, 40, General Manager for Creeksyde Holiday Park

Ollie, 11, year 7 at Remarkables Primary

Maddy, 8, year 4 at Remarkables Primary

 

The Aim

A home with plenty of quirky spaces that allow us and the children to co-exist without mess and clutter! Plus plenty of space for our international friends and family to stay when they visit.  We loved Jacks Point for its great community.  We chose Evolution for their ecologically minded systems that make it affordable to keep our home warm in the winter and cool in the summer.

 

 

The Project

The 239m2 home has 5 bedrooms, 3 living areas, 3 bathrooms and a double garage.

The Plans

 This is the second home we have built.  We had strong ideas of what we wanted and worked alongside our architect Mark Gray to settle on a design that we both loved and could afford.  I also ran lots of ideas and options past a great friend Grace Gurnsey who is an interior architect at Totem Design Studio in Frankton. While she wasn't employed on the project, she was a great sounding board and helped make some of the special niches we wouldn't have thought of.

 

The Cost

$2800/m2

The Section

We purchased the land almost 18 months ago.  We looked around Jack's Point for a few months before deciding on our site.  Our real estate agent was Jane Hanna who has a superb knowledge of the neighbourhood and shared her insight with us as we looked around different areas here.

We chose Jack's Point for the great community and bus access to Remarkables Primary School.  We liked our section as it is up high, so great views, and close to the entrance to the area.  The site was flat, saving on excavation, and allowed us to build a long thin house with most rooms having a northern aspect for sunlight and solar retention.

 

The Design

The home is basically a 3 bed home plus a 2 bed:  We prefer to think of it as the guest wing.  Duncan and I both have retired parents who live overseas and come to visit often for extended periods.  It was important to have the extra space for people to stay without feeling like you're in each other's way.  In the future it could also be a games room hangout for the kids when they get older.  

Another important design input we had was choosing to put the kitchen at the front for the best views, as we find that when we entertain or relax as a family - its normally around the kitchen!  I also have a special 'cafe' area for making coffee and tea!  The garage (at the back) is connected to the house by a large mudroom/laundry for dirty shoes, sports gear, and backpacks.

The Inspiration

Duncan and I love watching the home renovation shows and Grand Designs on TV.  Duncan's brother is also an architectural draftsmen and I  worked as a PA for an interior architect in town.  Lastly, I have friends with really good taste.  We use everybody's opinions during the process!

 

 

The Build

We chose Evolution, a division of Rilean Construction, because we liked the idea of building a well-insulated home that would cost us less to run in the future as well as use less energy.  Lisa Burroughs was also an efficient and superbly informed consultant to work with!

We just moved in this April!  The overall build took about 8 months.

There were changes along the way, this is inevitable.  Always, there are things you want when you think about it.  We tried carving out as much space as possible, in a number of ways...like making shelves behind the fireplace in otherwise dead space, and also lifting the ceiling heights to give the room more volume.  This changed some of the proportions of the kitchen, which I found hard to grasp in terms of choosing windows and cupboards.

Special Features

- Blower Door Tested (1.9 ach, an excellent reading proving the house is very airtight)

- 2kW Solar PV system from Infinite Energy's  'pure black series'.

- MAXRaft slab with thermal break 

- Proclima Intello wrap thermally encasing house, breaking the garage from the house

- Inslab aerothermal heating system

- R2.2 internal wall batts, R4.2 (2.8+1.4) exterior wall batts (incl walls connecting to garage) and R5.2 in ceiling

- polycore internal garage door with drop down seal and insulated external garage door

- Dampers to rangehood and bathroom fans to prevent air flow into house when fans are not in use

- LED lighting

 

 

Staying on Track

Evolution took care of most of the details.  We did decide to employ our own contractors for a few of the details.  I thought I'd save money, but it did create a lot of extra work too!

It was great to call one person (Lisa) who then sorted out most of the other stuff.  We were still on site multiple times a week and talking to contractors to make sure all the details were as we wanted.  Plus, we kinda liked the process and loved seeing the progress!

 

Obstacles to Overcome

The building process was fairly smooth up until the end and it looked like we were ahead of schedule.  The painful part was when we were juggling our own contractors and doing the finishing touches - I'm sure there's a lesson to be learned somewhere.  The kitchen, which we’d taken out of the contract because we wanted to order it ourselves, caused a massive delay in the end! 

 

 

What we Love

We love being near friends, having weekend wines at the kitchen island, exploring the area, and being nice and toasty even on the coldest, wettest days!  Not to mention, my coffee station...

 

Tips for Build me. Readers

Plan Plan Plan!  The more you know up front the easier the process!  Also trust and pay people who know what they are doing!  Get the best builder you can!  Insulate Insulate Insulate - especially if you plan on staying in it! Don't let children choose colours!

Recommended Contractors

Building Company: Evolution

Electrician: Laser

Solar: Infinite Energy

Central Heating: Bob Dennison

Photos by Michaela Cox Photography