Design and build

The Cedar House, Motueka.

Two cedar-clad pavilions above the Motueka estuary, designed by Bill Stevenson Architects and able to run self-sufficient on solar. Built 2019.

LocationMotueka

TypeArchitectural

Year2019

Key featureSolar self-sufficient

The site and the brief

An in-town Motueka site. The owners came to us with a Bill Stevenson Architects design and a brief to build it, a warm, characterful, low-energy home with real architectural detail.

The Cedar House lifted 1.8 metres on timber piles above the Motueka estuary — Lifted 1.8 metres above the ground

Designed Around One Table

Building off an architect’s plans, we brought the build detail in early so the two-pavilion plan, the cedar cladding and the airtight structure were resolved as one, with the home lifted 1.8m above the ground.

“Building off an architect’s plans, we brought the build detail in early so the two-pavilion plan, the cedar cladding and the airtight structure were resolved as one, with the home lifted 1.8m above the ground.”

Around One Table · The Cedar House

Built in the Open

Open-book pricing from first meeting to final key.

The result

Cedar cladding weathering gently around a home that can run self-sufficient on solar. Two pavilions are joined by a central flat TPO roof, with corrugated roofs either side, floor and walls packed for year-round comfort.

The finished kitchen inside The Cedar House, Motueka — The finished kitchen

Materials and performance

The Cedar House carries an insulated R4.8 Mammoth subfloor with the thickest insulation available packed into its 140mm walls, behind a rigid air-barrier board.

Cedar cladding wraps the pavilions over a James Hardie fibre-cement subfloor band, under corrugated roofs joined by a central flat TPO roof, and the home can run self-sufficient on its solar array.

The specification

Location: Motueka
Type: Architectural, two pavilions
Design: Bill Stevenson Architects
Subfloor: Insulated, R4.8 Mammoth; lifted 1.8m
Walls: 140mm, thickest insulation available
Airtightness: Pro Clima membrane; rigid air-barrier board
Cladding: Cedar; James Hardie fibre-cement subfloor band
Roof: Corrugated with central TPO flat roof
Energy: Solar, self-sufficient
Year: 2019
Guarantee: 10-year guarantee

Products and partners: James Hardie · Pro Clima

The systems behind this home

Every Ecotectural home is built from proven, high-performance systems. Explore the ones that go into a build like The Cedar House.

Cladding Roofing Framing

Aerial view of The Cedar House above the Motueka estuary — Above the estuaryThe Cedar House

Cedar-clad gable end of The Cedar House, Motueka — The cedar-clad gableThe Cedar House

Cedar-clad deck at The Cedar House, Motueka — The cedar deckThe Cedar House

Ensuite bathroom inside The Cedar House, Motueka — The ensuiteThe Cedar House

Aerial view of the rooftop solar array at The Cedar House, Motueka — Rooftop solarThe Cedar House

The Cedar House under construction, Motueka — Under constructionThe Cedar House

Good questions

The Cedar House, answered.

Can The Cedar House really run self-sufficient on solar?

Yes, its rooftop solar array is sized so the home can run self-sufficient, on top of a well insulated envelope that keeps the energy demand low in the first place.

Why is the home lifted 1.8 metres off the ground?

The two pavilions sit up on piles above the Motueka estuary site, a response to the ground conditions that also gives the home its distinctive pole-house profile.

Who designed The Cedar House?

Bill Stevenson Architects designed the two-pavilion home, and Ecotectural built it, bringing the build detail in early alongside the architect's plans.

What insulation does The Cedar House use?

An insulated R4.8 Mammoth subfloor and 140mm walls packed with the thickest insulation available, behind a rigid air-barrier board.

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