New Build, Rangitahi

Frazor first mentioned this build at a soccer game. He’d been working on the design with his team for five years before we got involved — by the time we sat down properly, he knew exactly what he wanted.

We spent the next six months refining the plans together and getting everything through council. The design called for passive house principles applied throughout: a high-performance thermal envelope, PVC joinery with an integrated air management system to keep the home’s temperature and air quality consistent year-round, and an orientation that put the main living spaces facing north for solar gain.

The build itself ran around nine months. Beyond the structure, the systems side was substantial: a battery and solar array sized to handle the home’s day-to-day load, copper plumbing with whole-house filtration, and a rainwater tank for clean water on tap. Finishes were specified to a high standard throughout, but the real value lives in the systems behind the walls.

Frazor and Gina now have a home that runs efficiently year-round, draws on the sun for heat, captures its own water, and produces most of the power it uses. It’s the kind of build that takes longer to plan than to put up.