Raetihi log house one of five in NZ

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 3, Issue 18, 24 September 1985, Page 16

Raetihi log house one of five in NZ

A log house which is only the fifth of its type in New Zealand is being built high on the hill at the northern end of Raetihi. The house, designed by Waihi builder David Alexander, created some problems as the shell was built in Waihi and trucked 340km to Raetihi. It's made from very heavy larch logs and, having made the 340km journey, it had to be hauled up a steep, muddy track to its site. The owners, Bo McGowan and Raewyn Quinn, have been living on top of the hill in a bus with their two small children, Matthew, seven months, and Natalie, three, since November last year. They are building a log house as accommodation for skiers as well as a home for themselves. The house is one of several buildings, which will include another building for accommodation and an ablution block, all made out of logs. The other buildings will probably be built for next ski season. The surrounding area will be landscaped — at present it is just mud. Bo has a shearing gang in the area, but is also helping to build the house. "It's very heavy, hard work," said Raewyn. She works part-time at the Raetihi Hotel. She comes from Kaikohe and Bo from Te Puke. Before moving to Raetihi last year they spent three years travelling around the South Island in shearing gangs. Builder David Alexander said this house was the big-

gest he had attempted. He began his Log Homes business after learning the trade from a Canadian builder, Alan Mackie, who comes to New Zealand every few years to hold courses in log home construction. David has built five houses in New Zealand and says none of them are the same. "They're aH hand crafted homes," he said. They can be built from many different types of timber including larch, which came from Rotorua for the Raetihi house. Douglas fir is also very good, he says. The logs have a water-

proof coating on the outside but are not treated, so they must be well up off the ground and have wide eaves. "The wood is about 15cm thick so it has amazing insulation," said David. Because the insulation is so good, there are about 70,000 log homes in Canada. "They build them out of necessity there, not because they look good or are the trend. They've been building them there since the first immigrants came," he said. David knows of a log hotel in Canada which was built in 1935 and is still

standing, and a log house in Russia built in 1 600 which is still standing today. Although there is a lot to learn from overseas log houses, David said that at present log builders in New Zealand were following Canadian plans and standards. There are differences to building in New Zet.land, such as the differences in timber. "We've still got a bit to learn here," he said. "In about eight years well know more about them because we will have seen how the houses we have built have lasted."

An association has been formed to control the building of log houses while it is in the early years in New Zealand. The hill in Raetihi was ideal for the home, because log houses had much better resistance to wind than conventional houses, said David. Bo and Raewyn chose a log house for their home as they wanted something different. They knew the builders and knew how successful the houses were. They will be moving into the house any day now.