In the tradition of fine timber craftsmanship a new house in Glenorchy is bearing completion.  The solid timber home brings together the old and the new using traditional timber mortice and tenon joints with wooden pegs to the latest in intelligent vapour check membranes.

The house is predominantly constructed using Southland sourced Macrocarpa with 150mm thick solid timber walls and delightfully exposed roof framing.

The house was conceived through firm Zirnhelt Timber Frames with architectural design by Ecocentric Design who also provided a ll of the many timber cutting design sheets.  These Canadian based firms spent considerable effort planning the build to ensure it was a fast and efficient for the Kiwi carpenters in Glenorchy. 

The house design was orientated northwards to maximise passive solar gains and natural materials were specified where ever possible. Sheep’s wool insulation was used throughout the ceiling and gable end wall cavities.  Read more about the design at Ecocentric Design’s website www.ecocentricdesign.ca/PF-NZ.htm

You can learn more about solid timber frame construction from Zirnhelt Timber Frames website www.ZirnheltTimberFrames.com

The timber frame pieces were fabricated in Southland over a month long period, the pieces were then transported to Glenorchy where the house frame was assembled at lightning pace over a 6 day period. 

The house design offers many innovative features adapted from North America.  Expandable joints are utilised to allow the timber to shrink and swell throughout the year as seasons change.  The solid timber walls are chinked together to prevent drafts at the joints and the skillion ceilings are ventilated to ensure any trapped condensation can run out to the eave gutters. 

The ceilings use local red beach sarking; timber sarking can often cause problems with moisture building up in the roof space particularly in our colder climate.  To prevent these problems an intelligent vapour membrane was used above the sarking to ensure the timber frame remains dry and durable for the life of the house.