Location: Queenstown
Product: Solid Timber
Build type: Kitset
In Scandinavia and many parts of mainland Europe it is very common for new houses to be constructed from kitsets. Here in New Zealand, many people are starting to become aware that kitset homes offer a number of advantages when building, such as a shorter build time and reduced labour costs.
Fraemohs Homes has been manufacturing and supplying Danish-style kitset homes from locally-grown New Zealand timber for over 50 years. We offer two types of kit homes – Solid Timber and Timbermode.
Customised kitset homes
With conventional kitset homes you generally can’t modify the design at all. However, because we manufacture all of our kitsets locally in our own factory just outside Christchurch, we can make a customised kit home to fit your specifications. We regularly design and manufacture solid timber kitsets for everything ranging from architecturally designed chalets for hotels and motels, to luxurious four bedroom homes right through to small and cosy secondary dwellings or baches.
Kitset chalets for the service industry
A popular use for our solid timber kitsets is as chalets for hotels and motels seeking to provide a high level of comfort for their guests. Among our Solid Timber house designs are several predesigned 1 and 2 bedroom designs such as the Karamea, which can be customised for purpose. But if there are specific requirements, we can design a chalet from scratch for a client’s requirements.
Foundations
While our standard kitset prices cover the design of the home above the foundation, we can also help make your build even more hassle-free by assisting with foundation design and managing the building consent process on your behalf.
Environmentally friendly
If a home uses timber as its primary material, it’s really important the timber is grown locally from sustainable forests. If the timber is grown overseas, the carbon miles used on transporting the timber here to New Zealand far outweigh any supposed eco-friendly benefits, even if the imported timber has been sustainably grown.
Using local, sustainably grown New Zealand timber is exactly what Fraemohs Homes have been doing since we were founded 50 years ago. It is in fact one of the very principles Monni Fraemohs ensured the company would be guided by and we proudly adhere to this.
With a kitset home by Fraemohs, what you will find is your home is naturally warmer in winter, and naturally cooler in summer. This is because the timber we use provides a tremendous amount of natural thermal mass. And this thermal mass reduces your reliance on electricity for heating and cooling, as well as other means of energy generation like log burners. Combined with various other Scandinavian design techniques we continue to utilise in our kitset designs, our Solid Timber kitsets are actually carbon negative by the time they are ready to live in.
For more information on our approach to building sustainably, visit our Eco Homes page. You might also be interested in downloading our free 2018 Sustainable Building Report.
Our instructional videos for building your kitset home
We have been busy producing these and began rolling them out in August, 2017. Designed to answer any questions you might have on building your new kit house while you are on the go.
The video series covers all areas of the build. See an example video below.
Full build service / turnkey builds in Canterbury
If you are looking for a turnkey or full build service, then you will be pleased to learn that Fraemohs is able to offer this to clients in the Canterbury region. This can include assisting you with arranging finance, choosing a section and working with you to design a home that meets your specifications and your budget. We can also handle all of the consents and arrange an experienced builder to construct your home so that all you have to do is choose the fittings and move in.
From a DIY Solid Timber kitset to a fully managed build, with Fraemohs you get the choice to be involved in the building process as much or as little as you want to be.
The foundation you use is dependant on your site and we can guide you on this.
For more information on our full build service within Canterbury, visit the Turnkey Homes page.
Fraemohs also delivers kitset homes to locations all over New Zealand and to international clients in locations such as the Pacific Islands.
Self-build option
Our Solid Timber kitset homes are log cabin-style kitsets with solid timber walls that you can build yourself as long as you are reasonably handy and able to lift heavy pieces of timber.
The walls of our Solid Timber kitsets are constructed of planks of laminated kiln-dried pine which interlock. This means they work in a similar way to that other famous Danish product, Lego! You don’t need any nails for the walls, just a sledgehammer to fit the pieces together. Each piece is numbered numerically and each wall is marked alphabetically. Laminated exposed roof beams fit neatly into pre-machined slots in the walls, and the sloping ceilings in the living areas are made from grooved ply.
If you are not a builder we generally recommend that you get a specialist in to tackle the foundation and the construction of the roof.
You will need a registered plumber and electrician to do the plumbing and electrical work in accordance with New Zealand legislation.
We also supply a kitset version of our architecturally designed Timbermode homes, however these are more complex to build and require a qualified builder or someone with building experience.
Two distinctive styles - Timbermode or Solid Timber. Which do you prefer?
