Imagine visiting the Goodalls on their Mossburn Hereford Bull stud farm and being presented with a pile of logs — some 15m high with some logs up to 1.5m in diameter — and being asked: “Can you build me a house out of this?” by the owner, Don Goodall.

Don had planted these trees on the family farm with his father as a child and his dream, to build a home from them, was about to be fulfilled.

The Design

Of course, the design brief was rather more than “please build a home from this pile of logs.” Both Don and Doreen Goodall have a keen eye for detail and every aspect of their new home was thought through with care. Such was the detail that each piece of timber was handpicked by Don and given a place in the new home.

The approach to the upper level is bordered by a curved, schist stone wall which leads through stone pillars to a huge, solid Scotch Pine entry door. The entrance opens into a foyer bathed in light from the central atrium and offers a welcoming warm glow from selected grain timbers. From this central foyer, there is access to the garage, office, powder room, master bedroom or move through the double doors into the open plan dining, kitchen, lounge, sunroom area featuring massive vaulted ceilings and a superb view over Lake Wakatipu. The entire top floor has been designed to be fully self-contained to provide a future solution in the event of mobility issues.

The lower level consists of three bedrooms, library, family room, bar, and a bathroom and spa lit from the glass floor in the atrium above. Level two also has a garage to house the jetski.

The Roofing

The roof was supplied by Dimond Roofing. It is Hi Five in Permanent Green ColorCote ZinaCore which has been crimp curved to follow the roofline designed by Martin Kennedy (Dimond can crimp curve Hi Five to a radius of less than 0.5m).

This roof is interesting in that the design called for a trapezoidal, not corrugated profile. This profile gives a more modern feel than the traditional stacked stone and corrugate combination usually used in the area.

This home is packed with thoughtful detail and character, filled with reminders of the owner’s farming origins and many extra touches to make their lives convenient and pleasant.

Both Don and Doreen are convinced the excellence of Martin’s joinery skills, his patience and attention to detail has provided them with a home built to the highest of standards. It is the realisation of their dream. “To find a designer and builder of Martin’s calibre today is very rare,” says Don. For Martin, the challenge of creating a house from that initial pile of logs was satisfying and enjoyable.

Doreen describes it as a home built with fun and laughter. “It has been nice to bring something of the farm with us.”

Design Philosophy

It’s about all parties working together with the owners to design and build a home that is warm and friendly. To achieve this, Martin emphasises the importance of listening to the client’s aspirations first, with no fixed ideas in mind. “Only then can you craft a home which will exactly suit the owners' lifestyle and sit comfortably within its environment."

The Goodalls project is a classic example of this, where the owners' passion for classic wood materials, has combined well with the modernity of Hi Five roofing to create a significant and beautiful home that blends well with the local landscape.