Useful Tips and Tricks > Designing for a difficult site

Designing for a difficult site

Steep site? Exposed coastal conditions? Bring it on!

Don't let a difficult building site interfere with your dream home plans. With the right materials you can achieve almost anything.

Sloping building sites and challenging locations can cause their share of headaches and heartaches during the planning and building process. But they can also give rise to wonderfully innovative designs, especially when architects utilise appropriate building materials to maximise design flexibility.

James Hardie products are designed with flexibility and durability in mind - something that makes the traditional ‘cut and fill' approach to dealing with a sloping site a thing of the past. It doesn't matter whether your site is sloping, positioned on a wild coastline, or tucked away in the bush, James Hardie products not only give you design flexibility, they are designed to stay looking great with minimal maintenance.

Building with traditional masonry or brick can be expensive and fraught with problems on a sloping site. James Hardie offer a variety of solutions that make the rendered look achievable no matter what sort of site you're building on. Based on a system of fixing solid walling sheets to steel or timber frames, Monotek® Sheet and HardiTex® System provide much greater design flexibility than traditional masonry systems, making them ideal for sloping sites.

James Hardie weatherboard and panel products are also designed to provide complete design flexibility. Lightweight and easy to finish and work with, products like Linea® Weatherboards, HardieFlex™ Sheets and Titan® Facade Panel are ideal for sloping sites and second-storey additions.

Tried and tested in some of the harshest environments throughout New Zealand and Australia, James Hardie leads the way in providing hi-tech products that are suitable for extreme weather conditions. James Hardie products won't burn and are resistant to permanent water and termite damage. When installed as directed, they won't rot or warp In New Zealand, James Hardie have played a leading role not only in ensuring that all their products are water-tight, but also in working with the building industry to ensure that best building practices are adopted to ensure building weather-tightness.