Beacon

A cosy comfortable home - what more could anyone want? And thanks to Beacon Pathway’s Build Back Smarter trial, the Mt Pleasant home of Peter and Debbie has been transformed from a draughty 1918 villa to a warm oasis.

Ironically they bought their hillside bungalow between the September 2010 and February 2011 earthquakes and the house suffered significant damage to its foundations and interior. Build Back Smarter trialled upgrading home performance during earthquake repairs.

Peter and Debbie now have an efficient heat transfer system to take the heat from the living area to the southern side of the house; wall, ceiling and floor insulation including a vapour barrier; downlights replaced with LED lighting, an extract fan was installed in the bathroom and ensuite and timers added to the heated towel rails.

The difference to their home has been significant, says Peter.

“We come home and the house is warm. Even the rooms at the back of the house are as toasty as the living room.“

To add to the warmth and energy efficiency of their home, Peter and Debbie paid for new double glazed uPVC windows for the whole house, the front of their home with its panoramic views from the ocean, over the city to the mountains, and a freestanding woodburner to replace the living flame gas heater that was seldom used due to its high running cost. Debbie had new curtains made and installed for the whole house but we never need to draw the curtains as the double glazing is so efficient.

Even with the cooler months they find they don’t have to get the woodburner or heat pump up and running until 8pm, saving significantly on their power bills and the cost of fire wood.

Peter’s office is on the southern side of the house and, being an asthmatic, he found the cold space affected his health. With heat transferred from the living area, he says his office is now as “toasty” as the rest of the home.

The wood burner does more than take the chill off but also has the added bonus for the couple is that they can also cook on it.

“So if we do lose power at any stage we still have heat and we can eat,“ says Debbie.

The wall, ceiling and floor insulation combined with the large double glazed windows at the front of the house has totally changed the feel of their home.

“The house feels more peaceful and you can feel the warmth as soon as you walk in the door. Everyone should be thinking of upgrading their homes when they’re having their earthquake repairs done - it just makes sense and we are very grateful to have taken part in this trial for Build Back Smarter,“ says Peter.

Earthquake damage

The house suffered from significant damage to foundations from the earthquakes, made more complex by the two different foundation types.  Ground movement caused uneven settlement of ring foundation and piles of the older part of the home, and voids formed beneath the 32m² concrete slab to part of the extension.  Damage also included damage to the roof cladding, window joinery, exterior paintwork, entry floor tiles, tongue and groove flooring finish, retaining walls, fencing and driveway.  Most interior lath and plaster ceiling and wall linings were badly cracked.   

In terms of the scope of the earthquake repairs:

• Repair of the foundations by packing and replacing floor piles, grout pumping into the voids beneath the concrete slab, epoxy injections into the cracks in the ring foundation.
• Replacement of the roof
• Most lath and plaster ceiling linings were replaced throughout
• Most lath and plaster wall linings replaced throughout
• Internal doors were eased and adjusted throughout

The upgrades

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  19-Feb-2014 (Report BBS/12)

  Mt Pleasant 1: Build Back Smarter Case Study (PDF 785KB)

  Lois Easton

  Covers the fifth case study in the Build Back Smarter pilot project, Mt Pleasant 1.