Building a Home the Sustainable Way Exterior Products
Your home can be a haven and it can also be a hazard, depending on what building materials and processes the house has been subject to. To meet building regulation requirements for durability and safety, pine used for structural purposes must be treated. This treatment involves toxic chemicals which may have effects on the environment and on human health. These effects can occur during processing, during handling and construction, and when timber and processing wastes are disposed of. A more natural and eco-friendly way of building, furnishing and decorating a home is a sensible and cautionary approach. Non-toxic materials are coming to the fore.
Look also for building materials that are biodegradable over time and have a recycled or reused component. Ensure any timber you choose is from a sustainably managed source (look for FSC certification, or certification that the timber was harvested under a MAF-approved sustainable management plan - see decking and outdoor furniture and water use for more information on certification schemes).
Concrete, metals, earth, clay, and fibre cement are largely based on local, non-renewable but plentiful extracted raw materials. The main challenge is managing the health of waterways and restoration of land affected by extraction.
Fast growing and evergreen, NZ natives soften the lines between properties and are low cost, planet replenishing and can be considered non-permanent should changes in boundaries be required.
Decking is seldom available as a recycled product. Treated NZ pine or imported hardwoods such as jarrah are readily available. Treated timber comes with its own health risks, due to the toxic substances used to treat it. Concrete patios, perhaps with imprinted patterns, are an eco-friendly alternative. New to the market in New Zealand, although hugely popular in Australia, are the new wood and polymer composite products. This is a blend of wood fibre and plastic polymers, producing a composite of their best features. Composite decking is used extensively in marinas and boardwalks, around swimming pools and spas. It doesn’t require painting or staining. It can be sawn, drilled and sanded just like wood but doesn’t splinter, rot or fade. Composite decking utilizes recycled materials and wood dust, reducing the environmental impact of both products.
Interior Products When it comes to house interiors, using natural materials is a cinch. There’s nothing quite like the glow of recycled matai or rimu, whether it’s in floorboards or furniture.
On the deck, in the lounge, in bathroom, bedroom or kitchen; benchtops and tables are always acceptable when made from recycled timbers. Flooring from natural materials can include sisals and wool carpet, cork and reclaimed hardwoods. The latest hard-wearing laminated flooring in bamboo provides a huge array of colours and bamboo is a fast growing renewable resource.
Bamboo and other wood veneer laminates can be laid over concrete. Coloured concrete flooring, preferably with in-slab insulation of expanded polystyrene is winning awards for builders and home owners. The minimalist industrial look or a warm coloured glow, there are endless possibilities for colour, texture and inlay. Broken coloured glass can be added to the mix and then ground back to reveal pattern and colour.
The “Heiny, Winey, Steiny” concrete floor, with different sections of coloured glass is a an example of Kiwi ingenuity. Green, brown, white and even the blue of a Bombay Sapphire gin bottle, can add drama and interest to a concrete floor. Combined with natural timbers, wrought iron work and heavily textured materials, the effect can be very rustic and pleasing to the eye.
Tiles manufactured in a sustainable way are also a permanent and natural floor covering. When the tiles or exposed concrete is in full sun they create passive solar heating. The floor surface warms during the day, then releases its heat throughout the evening.
- Timber - framing, weatherboards, plywood, glue-laminated lengths, whole logs for walls.
- Concrete - floor slabs, blocks, AAC (aerated autoclaved concrete), insulated concrete formwork, precast panels, piles, roofing tiles.
- Steel - framing, beams, profiled sheets (roof and wall cladding), roof tiles.
- Aluminium - weatherboards, window frames.
- Zinc coated steel
- PVC - weatherboards, window frames, guttering and spouting.
- Copper guttering and flashing.
- Fibre cement - weatherboards, sheets for monolithic claddings and soffits.
- Earth - bricks, rammed walls, living roofs.
- Straw bale.
- Fired brick and clay - walls, wall veneers and roof tiles.
- Natural stone - wall veneers..
Look also for building materials that are biodegradable over time and have a recycled or reused component. Ensure any timber you choose is from a sustainably managed source (look for FSC certification, or certification that the timber was harvested under a MAF-approved sustainable management plan - see decking and outdoor furniture and water use for more information on certification schemes).
Concrete, metals, earth, clay, and fibre cement are largely based on local, non-renewable but plentiful extracted raw materials. The main challenge is managing the health of waterways and restoration of land affected by extraction.
- Efficiency of use - if it lasts longer, less material is needed for replacement, and the availability of raw materials can be extended. This doesn’t mean that eventual disposal of materials is less important.
- Natural durability - some materials need to be treated in some way to improve long-term durability. Kiln-dried pine and naturally durable exotic timbers such as macrocarpa, larch, lawson cypress and douglas fir can be used untreated as framing in specific areas where there is no risk of moisture. Check potential toxicity, durability, disposal and ease of use of any treatment system.
- Design for durability - use of eaves, flashings, and foundations (`good hat and good boots') to protect from wind, rain and corrosive elements will minimise the risks from deterioration. Good design is preferable for extending the life of any building material.
- Weathertightness - ensure the cladding or wall system provides a weatherproof skin that won’t leak internally, allows moisture to drain, and will dry readily.
Fast growing and evergreen, NZ natives soften the lines between properties and are low cost, planet replenishing and can be considered non-permanent should changes in boundaries be required.
Decking is seldom available as a recycled product. Treated NZ pine or imported hardwoods such as jarrah are readily available. Treated timber comes with its own health risks, due to the toxic substances used to treat it. Concrete patios, perhaps with imprinted patterns, are an eco-friendly alternative. New to the market in New Zealand, although hugely popular in Australia, are the new wood and polymer composite products. This is a blend of wood fibre and plastic polymers, producing a composite of their best features. Composite decking is used extensively in marinas and boardwalks, around swimming pools and spas. It doesn’t require painting or staining. It can be sawn, drilled and sanded just like wood but doesn’t splinter, rot or fade. Composite decking utilizes recycled materials and wood dust, reducing the environmental impact of both products.
Interior Products When it comes to house interiors, using natural materials is a cinch. There’s nothing quite like the glow of recycled matai or rimu, whether it’s in floorboards or furniture.
On the deck, in the lounge, in bathroom, bedroom or kitchen; benchtops and tables are always acceptable when made from recycled timbers. Flooring from natural materials can include sisals and wool carpet, cork and reclaimed hardwoods. The latest hard-wearing laminated flooring in bamboo provides a huge array of colours and bamboo is a fast growing renewable resource.
Bamboo and other wood veneer laminates can be laid over concrete. Coloured concrete flooring, preferably with in-slab insulation of expanded polystyrene is winning awards for builders and home owners. The minimalist industrial look or a warm coloured glow, there are endless possibilities for colour, texture and inlay. Broken coloured glass can be added to the mix and then ground back to reveal pattern and colour.
The “Heiny, Winey, Steiny” concrete floor, with different sections of coloured glass is a an example of Kiwi ingenuity. Green, brown, white and even the blue of a Bombay Sapphire gin bottle, can add drama and interest to a concrete floor. Combined with natural timbers, wrought iron work and heavily textured materials, the effect can be very rustic and pleasing to the eye.
Tiles manufactured in a sustainable way are also a permanent and natural floor covering. When the tiles or exposed concrete is in full sun they create passive solar heating. The floor surface warms during the day, then releases its heat throughout the evening.