WELCOME TO THE SUPERHOME MOVEMENT’S RENOVATION DESIGN GUIDE
The information in this RENOVATION DESIGN GUIDE is to help you sort out what’s best to renovate and improve your existing home
It includes:
Advice and guidance from our Superhome Movement experts
Some case studies to give you inspiration and ideas
Links to resources from BRANZ and others for the technical details that will help your build team
Practical information about historical eras of home in New Zealand, the common issues with each, and what can be done
As with any building project, the main things are to:
Have clear goals – what do you want to achieve? – what are the problems you need to deal with?
Get advice and input from the professionals – designers, builders, engineers, electricians, plumbers
Be clear about your budget and scope your project for affordability
Make a plan – including contingencies and formal requirements such as building consents
Consider doing your renovation in stages, addressing the most urgent priorities first and moving on to other improvements later on as you can manage it – there are things you can do to future proof your ongoing renovation process, setting up now for additional changes in future
The RENOVATION DESIGN GUIDE is ordinary Kiwi homeowners, so the primary focus is on why renovation will make a difference to the health, wellbeing and budgets of families, with better, healthier living environments and lower operational costs.
Technical details and more specific information are accessible through the links within the GUIDE, but the main thing is to highlight what homeowners and their build teams can do, and what practical methods, technologies and materials are available to help get the best results.
Every home, every family, and every renovation project is unique – while the GUIDE offers general information and ideas, you will need to work through what is appropriate and worth while for your individual circumstances. Superhome Movement partners and participants will be happy to help you develop your thinking and come up with the best plan for improving your home.
EVERY HOME CAN BECOME A SUPERHOME...
KIWI HOUSE ERAS / STYLES
Ronnie/Bob, need a good/brief introduction here, saying something that this is a guide only and not every single house style in New Zealand over the ages etc... And mention that there are some basic things to look for etc etc. There will be a button/link taking people to the separate page.
New Zealand House Eras / Styles ►►EXPERTS ON RENOS
A builder's perspective... YES you CAN renovate an existing home to ‘Superhome’ status... Guy Gillespie, Character Builders
If the roof is in a good condition, we can go over existing substrate with our Warm Seal system... Jeff Fitness, SealCo
Transforming a 1970's Bach into a warm, dry and comfortable home – ONE STEP AT A TIME... Dave Gunter, Coastal Design
Do NOT go for a glass upgrade from single to double glazing within old aluminium frames... Andrew Krupa, Koffman European Windows
Ventilation is sometimes looked as an after thought and something that is easy to retrofit later... Marcus South, Warmth.nz
It’s always the same thing... WHAT IS THE ENVELOPE LIKE? ...Insulation, Windows, Leaks & Ventilation... Simon Fenwick, Nest Residential
Read More ►►COMMON CONCERNS
You and your family will already know the kinds of problems with your existing home. Here are some of the problems impacting New Zealand homes – what causes them, and what can be done to fix them. There are a range of options to suit your needs and affordability.
The advice and information in this RENOVATION DESIGN GUIDE is provided in good faith, to assist homeowners and the public understand and plan their renovation project, and achieve practical improvements to the quality and efficiency of their home. It is sourced from reputable, experienced professionals within the Superhome Movement, and from guidance provided by industry organisations such as BRANZ. It will be updated and added to as new information becomes available.
The Superhome Movement does not accept any responsibility or liability to any third party for any loss or damage arising directly or indirectly from, or connected with, the third party’s use of this Renovation Design Guide or any part of it, or your reliance on information contained in it. That loss includes any direct, indirect, incidental or consequential loss suffered including any loss of profit, income or any intangible losses or any claims, costs, expenses (including legal expenses and related costs) or damage, whether in contract, tort (including negligence), equity, statutory liability (to the extent allowed to be excluded) or otherwise.
RENO MARKET LARGER THAN NEW BUILD
“It is predicted that 80% of current homes will be around in 2050. To get those homes up to Superhome level you need a Super Renovation – there’s a massive space there. The renovation market is alot bigger than the new build market.”
Gary Peters: Senior Operations Manager, SelectSIP (2024)
OLD HOMES HERE FOR A LONG TIME
“There's a lot of old homes out there and they're going to be there for a long time. People in existing houses deserve to live in comfortable, healthy energy-efficient homes.”
Darren Ballantine: Key Account & Business Development Manager, Metro Glass
TARGET WHAT'S IMPORTANT FOR YOU
“Don’t necessarily have to renovate everything, but target what’s most important to you. Think about the future, what you can do now to future proof your house for later.”
Julie Villard: Architect and Eco-Design Advisor, Christchurch City Council
TREAT OLD & NEW THE SAME
“You treat the new homes and the old homes in the same way – you’re trying to air tightness, efficiency, acoustic value and comfort.”
Simon Fenwick: Developer and Director, Nest Residential
THERE'S A SOLUTION FOR EVERYTHING
“It doesn’t matter what the house is, there are ways to fix it. If it’s damp and mouldy then just by putting insulation in, getting in a good ventilation system, making sure the claddings are on a cavity, maybe putting some new windows in to get a bit more sun... there’s a solution pretty much for everything.”
Dave Gunter: Director, Coastal Designs
STARTING WITH AN IMPERFECT FRAME
“A number of those things with renovation is all the more crucial because you’re starting with an imperfect frame and you’ll never make it perfect, so you’ve got to have a mindset to understand what are the key differences.”
Guy Gillespie: Director, Character Builders
INSANELY EXPENSIVE TO BUILD
“It’s so insanely expensive to build. Retrofitting existing buildings, I think it makes good economical sense for clients who don’t necessarily want to go out and build a new build.”
Duncan Firth: Solarei Architecture
INCREASE THERMAL PERFORMANCE
“Doing renovation without huge costs... adding thermal insulation dramatically increases thermal performance without dramatically increasing the cost.”
Candice Smith: National Specification Manager, Kingspan Thermakraft
DON'T HAVE TO DO IT ALL AT ONCE
“The good thing about renovations is you don’t have to do the whole thing at once, you can attack it systematically room by room – get a feel for what you need – think about your end goal.”
Dan Saunders: Director, Dan Saunders Construction and Director, Ecopanel
KEEP THE OLD WINDOW FRAMES
“Villas are quite an easy configuration to retrofit PVC windows. Old timber frames (outer frames) are really good, the issue is the sashes – keep the frames, they’re often heart rimu and really good quality.”
Martin Ball: Director, NK Windows (2024)
FRESH AIR IN... MOISTURE OUT
“Bringing fresh air into an old damp and mouldy house and moving moisture out is always going to put better insulation in walls and roof...”
Tony Biesiek: Director/Architectural Designer, Imagine Architecture
COVER THE CRINGE!
“A brick house with a cringe worthy old look... as soon as we put our system on top of it it’s a dry cavity so it makes your house a wee bit more comfortable as well as looking great.”
Harry Puttock: Senior Architectural Manager, Sto NZ (2024)
SEAL THE (ROOF) DEAL
“If the roof is in a good condition, we can go over existing substrate with our Warm Seal system. You’re re-insulating the roof and it’s very simple to do. It creates a lot of benefits and a lot of cost savings”
Jeff Fitness: Managing Director, SealCo Waterproofing Systems
KEEP OLD WINDOW FRAMES... NEW TRIPLE GLAZING
“We left the old window frames in, cut everything out, and used a frame with a flange, it works really well. You just push it in, rubber seals, easy, non intrusive, doesn’t damage any walls, and you have triple glazing straight away.”
Andrew Krupa: Director and Manager, Koffman European Windows
KEEP OLD WINDOW FRAMES... ADD NEW TRIPLE GLAZING
“Solar – Installation process is very straightforward on any existing home. We can tailor the system to the lines of the home – old villas that get renovated to modern living standards, all the way through to homes that were designed a couple of years ago.”
Chris Dearsley: Local Business Owner, Harrisons Solar
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