Richmond · Architectural & Passive home builders

Home builders in Richmond.

Ecotectural designs and builds architectural, energy-efficient homes across Richmond and the Waimea, on flat and elevated sites.

Registered Master Builder· Passive House Institute NZ· NZ Certified Builders 5.0 · 19 Google reviews

Ecotectural are Richmond builders, led by founder and Registered Master Builder Daryl Combes, building warm, dry, low-running-cost architectural and Passive Homes across Richmond and the Waimea since 2006.

Timber board-and-batten facade and black-framed glazing at Horton Road, an Ecotectural home near Richmond, in Tasman — Horton Road, near Richmond, Tasman

Home builders in Richmond

Richmond builders, architectural and Passive homes across the Waimea Plains.

Richmond sits between Nelson city and the wider Tasman district, the busy, sunny hub of the Waimea. Level town sections, newer subdivisions on the plains and elevated lifestyle blocks each ask a different question, and we work it out on the ground, not from a catalogue plan.

Level town sections and newer subdivisions favour careful light and privacy on a smaller footprint.
Elevated lifestyle blocks trade that for room to breathe, a longer view and real wind to design around.
Every home starts around one table and is delivered in the open, with every dollar visible as the build progresses.

Areas we serve near Richmond: Hope, Redwood Valley, Brightwater, Wakefield, Nelson and Mapua.

Building in Richmond

What building in Richmond actually involves.

Richmond spreads across the flat Waimea plains and up into the Richmond hills, and it is one of the fastest-growing parts of the region. Sites range from serviced township sections to elevated hill blocks with sun and views.

Building consent here goes through Tasman District Council. Most township sections connect to town water and the Bells Island wastewater scheme, while hill and lifestyle sites bring access, retaining, wind and stormwater to design around. We factor it all in early.

On a typical Richmond site we help you plan:
Water supply: town supply on serviced sections; a tank or bore on rural or hill blocks.
Wastewater: the council scheme in the township, or an on-site system where it does not reach.
Consent: your building consent through Tasman District Council, plus any resource consent your site needs.
Development contributions: we check whether the council development contribution has been paid on your section, so a charge the developer left behind does not surprise you at building consent.

Timber deck looking out through glass to the Waimea plains and mountains beyond, an Ecotectural home — Deck view to the plains and mountains, an Ecotectural home

Two very different sites, one district

A flat Waimea section and an elevated Richmond block ask different questions.

Much of Richmond sits on flat, fully serviced land, level town sections and newer subdivisions where the design work is about light and privacy on a smaller footprint. Further out, on the rising ground toward the hills, sites open up with room to breathe, a longer outlook and more wind off the plains to plan for.

Read the site honestly, and orientate for the sun Richmond gets in abundance.
Shelter the outdoor spaces that get lost on an exposed block.
The result is a home that suits the section it is actually built on, not a plan dropped onto it from somewhere else.

Sunlit living room with a timber ceiling and full-height glazing at golden hour in an Ecotectural home at Horton Road, Tasman

Building here since 2006

Nearly two decades of building in Richmond.

The homes we build across Richmond are warm, dry and low to run, comfortable in winter and cool in summer, and designed to suit the sites and climate here. A warm, dry, well-ventilated home is a healthier home to live in too, better for your family's wellbeing year after year. And because we design around how you actually live, and the stages of life ahead, your home is built to keep fitting you as life changes. That is what nearly twenty years of building in one region gives you: homes that perform for the way people really live.

Building since: 2006
Designed to last: 50+ years
10-year guarantees: Master Build + Halo
Registered: Master Builder + Certified Builder

"I wanted a home I could wear shorts and a t-shirt in year round and never feel cold."
Colin Hayman, Upper Moutere

Selected work across Tasman, Kaiteriteri & Nelson.

Many of our homes are completed under confidentiality, so this is only a selection. To see more, simply ask and we will arrange a private viewing or reference project.

Aerial view of the Blue House, an Ecotectural home with blue vertical cladding and a hardwood deck — Blue HouseArchitectural build

The Cedar House, a design-and-build home by Ecotectural, Motueka — The Cedar House, MotuekaDesign and build

Aerial of Tasman View with its pool terrace on an engineered hillside platform in Tasman — Tasman ViewHillside platform

Interior of The Black House, Tasman — The Black HouseTasman

Split-level home in dark cladding on a concrete block base, set into its slope at Pipin Lane, Tasman — Pipin LaneMapua

Schist stone architectural home framed by mountains, with black-framed glazing — Stone & GlassArchitectural build

Double-sided stacked-stone fireplace with a timber mantel at the Paton Road renovation — Paton RoadRenovation

A finished Ecotectural home shown through the leaf-in-house emblem

See how we design and build →

Why build with us here

Local and hands-on. A Nelson and Tasman team, minutes from Richmond and the wider Waimea.
Engineered to feel better to live in. Warm, dry and low to run, with the option to build a Passive Home.
Built in the Open. Honest, open-book pricing, so you see where every dollar goes, from the first sketch to the final invoice.

What we do

Everything it takes to design and build your Richmond home.

You engage one company: us. We bring the architect, engineer and every trade together and manage them on your behalf, so you have a single point of contact and one team accountable, from the first sketch to the final invoice. You are our design partner, the home is shaped around what you want, and we look after everyone else.

Architectural homes

Bespoke, architect-designed homes shaped around your ideas, your site and the Tasman light.

Design and build

One accountable team from first sketch to handover, so the design stays buildable and on budget.

Energy-efficient, healthy homes

Warm, dry, energy-efficient homes built well above the minimum code. We build Passive Homes.

Renovations and extensions

Considered additions and reworks, built to the same standard as our new homes.

Complete project leadership

We coordinate every consultant, supplier and trade, and keep your build on time and on budget.

A personalised experience

A calm, communicative process, dealing directly with the people responsible for your home.

Homes near Richmond

Lawson Cypress shiplap and dark gable roof at dusk, near Richmond, Redwood Valley

Black corrugate barn-form home nearing completion, an Ecotectural SIPs build near Richmond, Redwood Valley

Cathedral-ceilinged living space inside The Black House, Tasman

Good questions

Building in Richmond, answered.

Do you build in Richmond and the wider Waimea?

Yes. Richmond and the Waimea Plains are a regular part of our work, alongside neighbouring Hope, Brightwater and Wakefield. We are based a short drive away in Upper Moutere and know the area's sites and soils well.

What sites are like around Richmond?

A genuine mix. In town and on newer subdivisions, most sections are flat and fully serviced, which puts the design focus on light and privacy from close neighbours. Further out toward the hills, elevated lifestyle blocks give you more room and a longer outlook, with more wind to plan for. We design for whichever one your site actually is.

Do you build Passive Homes in Richmond?

Yes. We build Passive Homes in Richmond and across Nelson Tasman, along with high-performance homes that get most of the way there for a lower premium. We will talk you through both options honestly.

What does it cost to build in Richmond?

Costs vary with site, size and finish level, and an elevated Richmond block can add cost for retaining and access that a flat Waimea section will not. Rather than quote a figure that goes stale, we work through a realistic budget with you at the first consultation, with open-book pricing so you see where every dollar goes. Our guide to build costs in Nelson Tasman has more detail.

Which areas near Richmond do you build in?

Richmond itself, plus the surrounding Waimea towns and settlements: Hope, Redwood Valley, Brightwater and Wakefield. Each brings its own mix of flat, serviced sections and elevated lifestyle blocks, which is exactly the kind of site-specific work we do.