Li and Michelle Tane spent seven years living off-grid in their “happy place” – the Canterbury high country of New Zealand. First they lived in a tent, then in a mud hut, and then two timber huts. Now, with two daughters, Thea and Juniper, they are finally building a house on their land. They are living temporarily in a house they own an hour’s drive away, where Li’s work is.
This project is being featured on Grand Designs NZ, which claims the word ‘grand’ has nothing to do with money or the size of the house; it has everything to do with imagination.
They’re building a rammed-earth house, with additional timber they have milled over the past few years. The two-bedroom house will be just over 100m² (1077sf), so not large. Michelle says they just want to live “simply”, in tune with nature. They would like to get it built in a year – for $300,000 to $400,000.
The exterior walls and some of the interior walls will feature rammed earth, while other walls will be elm, cherry and ash. The floor will be polished concrete, and the beams solid oak. The raw material for the rammed earth comes from 300km away.
The family stays in the old huts when they come up to work. They have amped up the solar power system to power the tools. Li is also running an arborist business in town, and they realize they will need to sell that house to fund the build – overwintering in the huts with two young children wasn’t in the plan.
Two huge box concrete culvert units will become a cool cellar for the family. “All the produce we grow, the meat we harvest can all go into jars and all go into the cellar,” Michelle says. She also notes the $30k it costs means they have sacrificed a third bedroom.
The massive oak rafters were milled by Li who says the oak is a lot heavier and stronger than European oak of the same species. He says he has spent “years” working on the oak beams, cutting and oiling them in preparation. “We are hoping to build something that will last maybe 500 years, with as little maintenance as possible.”
Now the house is robust, strong and fabulous in its simplicity. It’s perfect for the harsh environment. All natural materials – not a wall lining in sight. The rammed-earth walls add wonderful texture to the interior.
The kitchen is impressive. All the joinery is walnut, and there is oak detailing. A huge traditional range is used for cooking, hot water and heating. “It’s fabulous. We’re so happy with it,” Michelle says.
There are little niches carved out of the rammed-earth walls on the interior, perfect for books and plants.
There is that huge boulder they’ve plonked right outside the living room, blocking much of the view of the valley. “We just love big boulders, and we had the opportunity, and we took it,” Michelle says.
The main bedroom is especially lovely. And the girls’ room is whimsical, with handmade log bunk beds.
And what about that sauna-like bathroom with a large skylight? Even the shower has a full-length window. No privacy is needed here.
“We’ve finally put down our roots, in our permanent, hopefully forever home,” says Michelle. “We read books, or play cards, or talk, listen to music. Life feels richer for it.”
They have spent around $580,000 on the build, a lot over budget. But, clearly, it has been worth it. You get the feeling they couldn’t be happier.
You can read the original article at www.stuff.co.nz
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