Breathing new life into old homes

Grand or modest, Linea Weatherboard is adding value to all types of renovations.

As a nation, renovating is one of our favourite pastimes. No sooner have most of us bought a home than we're knocking down walls, extending decks, tiling the bathroom, and repainting the lounge and dining room. We just can't help ourselves – we seem to see room for improvement everywhere.

But it's not just the interior that gets a makeover. With street appeal and resale value always in the back of our minds, Kiwis put a lot of effort into ensuring the exterior of our homes look just as good as the inside. And when it comes to re-cladding, whether it's the humble bach or an upmarket family home in an exclusive area, New Zealanders are enjoying the practical and design benefits offered by Linea Weatherboard.

Among them are Karen and Lance Managh who, together with Lance's brother Paul and sister-in-law Esther Managh, recently bought an old Fibrolite bach at Waihi Beach in the Bay of Plenty. While the location was great, the house was in desperate need of renovation, so Karen visited the TVShowhomes website, looking for product information and design inspiration. While on the website, Karen entered a competition that was running and ended up winning a houselot of Linea Weatherboard.

“The bach is about 45 years old and it's had very little done to it,” says Lance. “We knew the exterior needed some tending to, but we weren't really in a position to do anything to it immediately.”

But winning a houselot of Linea Weatherboard allowed the Managhs to protect their investment for the future and create a durable home for family holidays.

“It's so solid now and it's going to last for ages. We should be right for quite a few years,” they say. “When we go to the bach we don't want to have to be painting every few years or fixing things up. Now we won't have to do anything for a very long time – that's a big plus. And in this harsh coastal environment we now have great peace of mind.”

The Managhs have also noticed a number of other benefits. “It's a lot quieter now. The Linea has cut down the outside noise quite considerably and it's really hard wearing. The kids can kick a ball against it, and it'll take the knocks. Going from flat Fibrolite to weatherboards has also really modernized the look of the bach.”

Using the James Hardie Builder and Architect Directory, Karen and Lance found builder Dave Sorenson, and are rapt with the result.

Dave's company, Sorenson Construction, carried out the re-cladding work. Dave has been working with James Hardie products for 40 years, and says their durability is second to none, especially in harsh environments.

He removed the bach's old Fibrolite panels and replaced them with Linea Weatherboards fixed with stainless steel nails. As part of the process, the exterior walls were also insulated to make the bach a more comfortable place for family holidays.

“It's one of the older houses at Waihi Beach and is exposed to salt- and sand-laden winds, so it was important to use a product that could withstand these conditions well,” says Dave. “As a cladding product for a beach environment, Linea is absolutely ideal.”

Another renovation we'll be seeing a lot more of this three-level home on Paratai Drive in Auckland. Situated on one of the country's most exclusive streets, the house was built in the early 1990s and is in need of a makeover to bring it up to the level of other residences in this high-value area.

Over the next six months, it will undergo an extensive renovation by owner Geoff Whelan and his company Whelan Residential . The existing plaster cladding will be removed and replaced with Linea Weatherboard to give the exterior a more modern, stylish appearance.

“The flat look of Linea is great, especially when you've got a modern design – it really works well,” says Geoff.

And that's why designer Glen Cornwell from Avery Team Architecture suggested Linea for this house. “Linea suits the strong, angular lines of the design and will give the exterior a really contemporary look.”

Glen says that due to recent events, people have a perception that all plaster-clad homes leak. “As a result, there's been a strong shift back to more traditional, tried-and-true construction – such as weatherboards – that we all know and trust.”

Using Linea for this renovation also fitted in well with the designer's desire to give the weatherboards a high-gloss black finish, complemented by stainless steel elements and a new suspended glass entry canopy.

“Linea Weatherboards are a much more stable product when using dark colours, so they are ideal for the high-gloss black finish that we have in mind,” says Glen. “To achieve a good high-gloss finish, you need a product with a perfectly smooth surface, or any imperfections will show through and ruin the end result. This makes Linea much more suitable than timber weatherboards.”

In addition to re-cladding, the renovations will include the addition of an office and wine cellar on the lower level. A two-car garage will also be added, and the lounge and kitchen area extended and redesigned to open out onto a large deck with a louvred roof and sea views.

You can follow the progress of this renovation here. Keep an eye out for regular updates, as well as renovating and design tips from Geoff at Whelan Residential and Glen at Avery Team Architecture.

If you're after further renovation inspiration, take a look at how some other owners added value to their homes by re-cladding with Linea Weatherboard.

Although it was just seven years old, the Boyte family transformed their Tauranga home from a run-of-the-mill brick and tile house into a charming two-storey weatherboard homestead.

Or check out this home renovation in Sumner Bay , Christchurch, for ideas on how to blend the old with the new.

Read about how a Wellington couple turned their humble cottage into a dream home by ripping off the rotten timber weatherboards and re-cladding in hard-wearing Linea.

You'll also find tips and things to consider when re-cladding in our informative article Re-cladding Your Home With Linea. Make sure you're well informed before you start your renovation project by reading ‘Renovating Smarts: six questions to consider before you renovate'.

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