Services and Connections on a Rural Site
Power, water, wastewater and access on a rural block, and what catches people out.
Read the guideEcotectural are architectural and Passive Home builders based in Upper Moutere, building warm, dry, low-running-cost homes across the valley since 2006.
Home builders in Upper Moutere
Based right here in Upper Moutere.
Upper Moutere is genuinely home base: our office and workshop sit right here, among the same rural sites, orchards and vineyards our clients build on. We know this valley from the inside out.
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The Green House and the Blue House, two of our high-performance homes, stand on the same Moutere hilltop.
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Both are finished, lived-in homes, built on the valley's rural sites.
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Every home starts around one table and is delivered in the open, with every dollar visible as the build progresses.
Areas we serve near Upper Moutere: Lower Moutere, Mapua, Tasman, Motueka and Redwood Valley.
Building in Upper Moutere
What building in Upper Moutere actually involves.
Upper Moutere is our home base, a rural valley of orchards, vineyards and lifestyle blocks in the Moutere hills. Most sites are rural, often gently sloping, and chosen for sun and outlook.
Building consent goes through Tasman District Council. Rural Moutere sites usually rely on rainwater or a bore and an on-site wastewater system, designed and consented per site. Being based here, we know the ground, the weather and the council process well.
- On a typical Upper Moutere site we help you plan:
- Water supply: rainwater collection or a bore where there is no town supply.
- Wastewater: an on-site system designed and consented for your soils and site.
- 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.
Engineered, not just insulated
Passive House engineering, done right.
The Green House is one of our Passive Homes, on an insulated MAXRaft slab, with ducted heating through the floor and airtightness verified on site with a blower-door test.
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Every home is modelled and detailed well above the Building Code minimum, whether or not it goes all the way to Passive House.
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On a Moutere site exposed to sun, wind and frost, that engineering keeps a home warm through winter and cool through summer, without relying on the weather to cooperate.
Building here since 2006
Nearly two decades of building in Upper Moutere.
The homes we build across Upper Moutere 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.
Why build with us here
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Local in the truest sense. You will pass our workshop on the way to your site.
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Engineered to feel better to live in. Warm, dry and low to run, with the option to build a Passive Home.
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Built in the Open. Honest, open-book pricing, so you see where every dollar goes, from the first sketch to the final invoice.
Building in Upper Moutere? Start here.
A few honest guides on what it is really like to build on a rural block around Upper Moutere.
Building on a Sloping Section
Why slope costs money before it earns its view, and how good design pays it back.
Read the guide
The Best Areas to Build
Tasman, Kaiteriteri, Mapua, Upper Moutere, Richmond, Nelson and Golden Bay compared for a new build.
Read the guideWhat we do
Everything it takes to design and build your Upper Moutere 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.
Our Upper Moutere builds
The Green House
One of our Passive Homes: Formance SIPs, MAXRaft slab, blower-door tested.
View projectThe Blue House
A high-performance home sharing the same Upper Moutere hilltop as the Green House.
View projectGood questions
Building in the Moutere, answered.
Are you based in Upper Moutere?
Yes. Our office and workshop are at 79 Rowling Loop, Upper Moutere. We have lived and built in the Moutere since 2006, so your builder is genuinely around the corner, not across the region.
Do you build Passive Homes here?
Yes. The Green House on the same Upper Moutere site is one of ours: Formance SIPs, an insulated MAXRaft slab and blower-door testing to prove the airtightness. We build Passive Homes across the district.
What areas around the Moutere do you cover?
Everything within easy reach of the workshop: the Moutere valley, Mapua, Tasman village, Motueka and across to Richmond and Nelson. If you are unsure, ask, the answer is usually yes.
Building in the Moutere? You already know where we are.
Book a free one-hour consultation with founder Daryl Combes. No obligation, just an honest conversation about your site, your brief and your budget.
Arrange a consultation
