'Ghandi’s exhortation to “be the change you want to see in the world” was one inspiration for James and Nicky Briscall to embark on a building project very different from most.
It is likely many people would have compromised or given up after encountering some of the obstacles James and Nicky have met, but the couple remain committed to building their dream home and using their experience to help people with similar goals. “The house has almost become an instrument for change. We’re almost pioneering,” James said. “If you want a naturally built, untreated house and put it through the building code, it can be done.”
The Briscalls, originally from the UK, bought their Hawea Flat section four years ago. After dreaming for years of building a warm, healthy, organic home, the process had begun. “I think a house is more than a physical entity. It was symbolic of our life,” Nicky said. The couple wanted to use untreated, natural building materials, either recycled or locally sourced.
Their builder, Greg Tump, introduced them to architectural draughtsman Richard Vostermann, who worked with the couple for more than a year to incorporate the features they wanted while ensuring compliance with the Building Code.
“Certain aspects of this house pushed them [the QLDC] more,” Greg said. The house will be straw bale, wrapped around a timber post and beam structure, with both clay and recycled timber walls and floors. There will be no treated timber in the house and an ancient plaster system of lime over cob will be used, requiring regular lime washing.
People wanting to build something different must present evidence as part of the alternative solution clause in the Building Code. “It’s a minefield of a clause, the interpretation is so wide open,” Greg said. “It is a bugbear for people who really want to do something different.” While Central Otago’s environment is “perfect for straw bale”, Greg said, the QLDC wasn’t convinced and the Briscalls spent many hours and thousands of dollars to justify their ideas.
The outcome has been the granting of a consent for 15 years. “We’re considering it lasting for hundreds of years, not tens of years,” James said. “That’s where our faith in our design and our builder comes in,” Nicky said. They describe their design as “a house from the past for the future, combining age-old, proven techniques with modern technology.”
A team approach to the build has been important both for the couple and their builder. “Building a house like James’ and Nicky’s is a breath of fresh air,” Greg said. He enjoys the collaborative approach between owner and builder and the commitment to sustainable building.
The project has taken longer and cost more than they thought, but the Briscalls are content. “For us, to take a year or two out of our lives to create a home with natural materials, which have been used for hundreds of years, and the fact we will contribute very little to landfill,” James said, “I can sleep at night.”
“We’ve had a lot of people who’ve given a lot of time and thought to this process without charging us,” Nicky said. “We’d love to see other people use what we’ve done.” For that reason, the couple are blogging what they’ve learnt at http://strawhousenz.blogspot.com/.
It is likely many people would have compromised or given up after encountering some of the obstacles James and Nicky have met, but the couple remain committed to building their dream home and using their experience to help people with similar goals. “The house has almost become an instrument for change. We’re almost pioneering,” James said. “If you want a naturally built, untreated house and put it through the building code, it can be done.”
The Briscalls, originally from the UK, bought their Hawea Flat section four years ago. After dreaming for years of building a warm, healthy, organic home, the process had begun. “I think a house is more than a physical entity. It was symbolic of our life,” Nicky said. The couple wanted to use untreated, natural building materials, either recycled or locally sourced.
Their builder, Greg Tump, introduced them to architectural draughtsman Richard Vostermann, who worked with the couple for more than a year to incorporate the features they wanted while ensuring compliance with the Building Code.
“Certain aspects of this house pushed them [the QLDC] more,” Greg said. The house will be straw bale, wrapped around a timber post and beam structure, with both clay and recycled timber walls and floors. There will be no treated timber in the house and an ancient plaster system of lime over cob will be used, requiring regular lime washing.
People wanting to build something different must present evidence as part of the alternative solution clause in the Building Code. “It’s a minefield of a clause, the interpretation is so wide open,” Greg said. “It is a bugbear for people who really want to do something different.” While Central Otago’s environment is “perfect for straw bale”, Greg said, the QLDC wasn’t convinced and the Briscalls spent many hours and thousands of dollars to justify their ideas.
The outcome has been the granting of a consent for 15 years. “We’re considering it lasting for hundreds of years, not tens of years,” James said. “That’s where our faith in our design and our builder comes in,” Nicky said. They describe their design as “a house from the past for the future, combining age-old, proven techniques with modern technology.”
A team approach to the build has been important both for the couple and their builder. “Building a house like James’ and Nicky’s is a breath of fresh air,” Greg said. He enjoys the collaborative approach between owner and builder and the commitment to sustainable building.
The project has taken longer and cost more than they thought, but the Briscalls are content. “For us, to take a year or two out of our lives to create a home with natural materials, which have been used for hundreds of years, and the fact we will contribute very little to landfill,” James said, “I can sleep at night.”
“We’ve had a lot of people who’ve given a lot of time and thought to this process without charging us,” Nicky said. “We’d love to see other people use what we’ve done.” For that reason, the couple are blogging what they’ve learnt at http://strawhousenz.blogspot.com/.
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