Mt Barker Home

This home designed by Regan Johnston of Johnston Architects is nestled into the foothills of the Criffel Range, the elevated location gives spectacular views over Wanaka and surrounds which have been beautifully framed. The mix of natural materials including stone creates a sense of solidity, matches the surrounding rocky outcrops and gives a feeling of permanence to the home. One of the benefits of the materials used in this home is low maintenance. This is achieved by using a blend of mostly stone and glass, with the south facing side of the house predominantly stone and the sunny north side of the house mostly floor to ceiling glass. There are multiple options for outdoor living, including a private courtyard in the centre of the home. This courtyard is clad in stone, with mechanical louvres above. The stone helps creates a passive solar heat sink which absorbs heat during the day and slowly releases into the evening, a perfect way to extend outdoor living. Robin Dalton the director of Southern Stonemasons Wanaka says the original plan was to use smeared white pointing, as is often used around Central Otago. After discussion with the clients they changed the brief to a darker grey toned pointing. One of the advantages being that the darker colour increases the passive solar gain. The stone was acid washed at the completion of the job to further expose the different textures of the aggregate incorporated in the pointing. This home was clad with a blend of Poolburn Grey and Cluden Grey stone.