Whangaparaoa refresh

When Ian Thrush from Parallel Architecture embarked on renovations to his family’s Whangaparaoa home, he certainly didn’t expect it to turn into an almost full re-build!

The original plaster home was built in 1950’s and sits on a half share of the 1,100 square metre cross lease site.

“Over the years the old house had many additions and alterations that ended up causing a really disorganised floor plan” says Ian.

Originally, the intention was to achieve more storage space and update the bathroom. However, over time the scope changed and grew – as it does! Six years later, the 110 square metre footprint remains unchanged, however they have corrected the design flaws via a new layout and flow. All but two rooms were moved, and they now have a well-organised 3-bedroom family home.

“The most challenging part of the build was living in the house while renovating. Not to mention having a baby over that time also! Ideally, we would have had an empty house to work on but that is not always possible, so you just do what’s needed to make it work!” Ian says.

The Thrush family chose Dynex PALLISIDE® weatherboards for a few reasons:

The ease of install was a real drawcard for Ian. Starting at the bottom of the wall, once the starter strip was in place, and he checked it was nice and level, the first board was installed, and the next boards stacked upwards with no dramas.
Dynex PALLISIDE® weatherboards don’t need to be painted – not at install or any time in the future, so there are ongoing savings for years to come.
Low maintenance is key with any home, and PALLISIDE® weatherboards are easy to wash – very important in a coastal area with lots of sea spray in the air.
The box corners and facings finish off the cladding beautifully!
And finally, the offcuts can be recycled! Ian boxed up the offcuts and sent them back to Dynex, to be reprocessed into new product.

The family went for the traditional profile in slate to create a character home. The double light-grey boards look great with white box corners and window facings, to emulate the traditional timber look. The overall outcome is clean lines for a modern, yet characterful home.

Ian chose Dynex Soffit to replace the existing soffit as it looks great, is low maintenance, and as with PALLISIDE® weatherboards, never needs to be painted. It also adds to the classic style of the home.

Ian upgraded from single glazing to double glazing, which has been great. That combined with a wrapped and insulated home has made a world of difference to the family’s quality of life.

Ian chose Marley Stratus Design Series® Typhoon® spouting and RP80® downpipes as they’re available in Grey Friars® to match the roof, and because the half-round profile has excellent rainfall capacity. It’s also particularly hard wearing in a coastal location, with great UV resistance and a 15-year guarantee.

Being in Whangaparaoa, the property is on tank water, therefore Ian also opted to install a Marley Curve® leaf diverter on the RP80® downpipe. The Curve® removes leaves and debris to protect tanks and stormwater systems. Curve® is very easy to install and low maintenance, capturing over 99% of water with a clean screen.

The interior of the home has a very neutral palette of Resene Quarter Thorndon Cream, Black White ceilings, and timber accents to bring a touch of nature in. The bathroom and laundry have a classic look with vertical tongue and groove boards on the lower half of the walls.

Sensor lights were installed in the hall and under the vanity, which is great at night for using the bathroom or checking on the kids. Nice soft light at shin level, rather than a ceiling light in your face!

“The best aspect of our new home is that it is truly low maintenance. And we also love the indoor-outdoor flow” says Ian.

As both architectural designer and homeowner, Ian and his family are really happy with their newly refreshed home, and are pleased they chose Dynex PALLISIDE® weatherboards for the low maintenance, stylish finish they were after.

Whangaparaoa refresh

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