Todd House

This new house for the designer’s brother and his wife was to be a modest sized 2 Bedroom + Office home. It has been designed to take in the panoramic views from Nelson in the north east to the Mt Arthur ranges in the west and the Nelson Lakes to the south. The design brief was to maximise these views and the sun while keeping the maintenance as low as possible. The steep site required the house to be kept linear with the hillside. It would become the new base for farm management, now run by the next generation.

The magnificent views have been enhanced from the Living area through full height windows and adjoining decks. To keep maintenance to a minimum, prefinished corrugated iron was chosen. Contrasting wall sections use fibre cement panels which can easily be painted. Due to the steep site, foundations have been excavated into the bank with concrete at the rear and timber framing at the front. Areas of stone cladding give an expression of the farming background. To reiterate this, water is collected from the roof and reused for gardening.