A stone-clad home restored to its former glory

Built in 1978, this home is situated in Herbert, North Otago. When it was purchased by the current homeowners in April 2021, it was in need of some professional attention to bring it back to its original, tidy form.

With the professional help of Jeffrey Dennison Builders, the transformation commenced.

First up was the roof. Originally corrugated iron, this didn’t quite suit the style of the building and the area it’s situated.

“It’s a nice setting, and the clients wanted the building to make more of a grand statement where it sits in the rural landscape,” explains builder Jeff Dennison.

Initially, the clients opted for slate to replace the corrugated iron. However, the pre-existing trusses and framing had been designed for materials much lighter than slate.

“We came up with some options that fitted in with the slate style that they were after. Because of the age of the property, it is the type of roof that you probably would have expected it to have when it was built.”

CF Slate from Metrotile was chosen as a suitable alternative. Using innovative concealed fastening (CF) technology, this low-profile, lightweight roofing system achieves the look of low-profile shingles and slate, with the added strength and durability of steel.

Having accumulated many years of moss and grime build-up, the Oamaru stone exterior was in much need of restoration and cleaning.

The bargeboards also needed serious attention. An important part in protecting the timber roof structure of a building, these had deteriorated and were no longer fulfilling requirements. Jeffrey Dennison Builders replaced them and they were painted to match the aesthetic.

The home has also benefited from double-glazed windows being installed.

“Our joinery supplier did a really good job of replicating the installation of some of the previous units. Everything looks in keeping with the existing joinery,” says Jeff.

A significant update to the original concrete path that used to lead up to the front entrance, large-format synthetic porcelain tiles give a warm welcome on approach to the front door. These also have the advantage of being frost-resistant – a considered detail for a home in this area.

Continuing inside the home, the Jeffrey Dennison Builders team also helped to update the interior.

“We replaced the fire surround with a James Hardie product, and then that was tiled over the top of. We pulled up some hardwood flooring and had tiles and underfloor heating installed in the kitchen area,” shares Jeff.

Scaffolding was put in place in February 2022 with the restoration of the Oamaru stone, fitting of double-glazed windows, roof and bargeboard replacement, and the installation of the large-format tiles for the pathway completed on schedule by April.

The company was then invited back by the clients to complete the interior work, which was also completed on time in July and under budget – despite the materials shortage of the time.

“We’d pre-ordered everything when we started, so in the end we didn’t have any holdups with the delivery of materials.”

Regan Taylor, Quantity Surveyor at Jeffrey Dennison Builders, adds that while the delivery of the tiles requested by the clients took longer than usual, this was communicated at the start of the project and the clients were happy to wait for the product they wanted.

“We kept good communication with the client so we all knew what was happening.”

Explore projects by Jeffrey Dennison Builders on ArchiPro.