Plaster Party
THE PROJECT
The home featured here is a conventional timber framed home, similar to most houses found throughout Aotearoa. It has been renovated and redesigned through the use of mostly natural and low cost materials.
The existing house was tired and worn and essentially consisted of two large open spaces with no functional bedrooms. It has been converted into a 4-bedroom home through the addition of strategically located new interior walls to best utilise the existing space. The exterior footprint of the home has not changed.
There are a few things that make this renovation unlike most conventional renovations; especially notable is the low cost incurred due to the construction methods and material choices employed.
The Rimu fronted kitchen is second hand and cost $350, Rimu sarking boards were salvaged off the walls of an old villa and were nailed and glued over an existing worn and dated bench. The ‘new’ benchtop and cabinets were then oiled and waxed. While the exterior walls were already insulated before being renovated, new wool insulation was added to the ceiling. Discarded carpet was used for sound insulation where batts would commonly be installed in the ‘new’ interior walls.
Instead of using gypsum board on the interior walls Sol Design once again reused old carpet, stapling this to the framing as a substrate for the natural plasters. These, along with most of the other walls and ceilings have been plastered using clay and/or lime plasters, giving the house a pleasant and timeless appearance. One advantage to using the plasters is that the plasters have hidden the uneven and unconventional substrates.
Polystyrene has been added to the surface of a cracked, uneven and uninsulated concrete floor. The polystyrene was then plastered with 20mm of earthen plaster to create a beautiful earthen floor. The bathroom walls also employ natural plaster techniques, including the waterproofing technique of tadelakt that involves rubbing olive oil soap into the plaster with a stone, creating a surface impervious to water. The roofing iron was in need of replacement and was replaced with salvaged corrugated iron obtained from eight different building sites.
LOW COST
Reusing existing materials, being resourceful, and being creative with what’s available - these were the key ingredients in making this renovation both look attractive and cost little, and are also common practice with many projects by Sol Design.
With regards to being resourceful and having a good time in the process, Sol Design organised a “Plaster Party” where they invited a group of friends over who wanted to learn more about natural plasters or already knew about them and simply enjoyed working with them, and together they spent the weekend plastering most of the house. This method of collective work meant that there was almost no labour cost for this renovation.
Other than this, the existing building was purchased at low cost partly due to the odd existing layout. That, coupled with the age and condition of the home, caused it to have a very low purchase price. The materials as well as appliances incorporated into the renovation were either free (such clay and sand), reused (the appliances and cabinetry etc), repurposed (old carpet), salvaged (roofing iron for the house and clear plastic roofing for the verandah) or purchased conscientiously with the environment in mind (Natural oils and waxes, wool batt insulation etc), so as to be as non toxic and environmentally aware as possible. The design and repurpose work done in the kitchen for example, which is often among the greater expenses of a renovation, saved many thousands of dollars in that space alone.
All in all the renovation cost approximately $5,000 due to most of the labour not having a cost associated with it.
ABOUT SOL DESIGN
Sol Design, created in 2005, is a husband and wife team who specialize in straw bale and natural building systems. Environmentally sound construction techniques are a passion for both of them, whether for a renovation, interior design work, or a complete building design. Taking something nobody else wants and turning it into something beautiful and functional with a low impact on the earth and the occupants of the home is their objective for every build.
Sol Design offers a range of services, including architectural and interior design, consulting, and workshops.
CONTACT
If you would like to learn more about Sol Design’s natural building solutions, their workshops, or you want them to come and help you run a “plaster party” you can contact them by visiting their website: soldesign.co.nz
