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With 30 years in the industry, Architectural Designer Bruce Campbell has seen trends come and go. He’s also seen and experienced first-hand how much maintenance homeowners need to do in order to protect their homes from New Zealand’s harsh climate.
"Ongoing maintenance is something homeowners need to take into account when they build,” says Bruce. “I don't think people realise how much maintenance they’ve got to do to keep a house up to a good standard.”
Thirteen years ago Bruce and his cousin went in together on a section along Hibiscus Coast Highway, Auckland. When the time came to subdivide, they decided to build two houses on the site and since the plot was close to the beach, they chose not to use any timber, opting instead for low-maintenance materials that would last the distance.
“We wanted materials that would stay maintenance-free for a long time, and wouldn’t corrode or deteriorate in the salt conditions.”
As a long time fan of Palliside uPVC weatherboard, Bruce was excited to learn about a new range of uPVC soffit from Dynex, Palliside’s parent company.
“I think I was one of the first people to use it,” he says. “The product emerged just as we were ready to start the project.”
Made of pre-coloured uPVC, DynexSoffit is naturally resistant to salt corrosion and comes with a 25-year guarantee. “It was just what I needed,” Bruce says.
“I don’t like painting soffit,” he explains. “It’s difficult, especially on a two-storey house like ours. You’ve got to put up scaffolding and then try and get to it. It’s not something I want to be doing again in 10 years time. It’s too dangerous.”
With DynexSoffit, all Bruce has to do is wash it once a year, which he can do from the ground with a high-pressure hose. It’s easy on maintenance, and with water costing significantly less than paint and scaffolding, it’s a money saver too.
While low-maintenance was critical, so were aesthetics. Bruce wanted a soffit that also looked the part — an area that DynexSoffit excels in. With hidden fastenings, DynexSoffit does not need jointer strips like other products, which leaves it with a sleek, tongue and groove finish.
“It’s a neat, tidy system,” says Bruce. “It looks good all the time.”
With DynexSoffit and Palliside weatherboard, Bruce is confident in his new home’s ability to handle whatever Auckland’s climate will throw at it, from high rainfall and humidity to harsh UV rays and salt-laden air and says, “There's not much that can go wrong with the place.”
Bruce couldn’t be happier with how the project turned out. And with all that time saved not having to maintain his home, he can sit back and enjoy the fruits of his labour all the more.