Fresh Faced Renovation – Rotorua, New Zealand

Vulcan Cladding in Protector – Nero is used to deliver a creative, yet effective reclad solution for this lakeside home.

Project details

Product: Vulcan Cladding – Vertical Grain, Architectural Series (WB12 Profile 138x20), Brushed Finish in Protector – Nero

Photography credit: Stephen Parker

Completion date: November 2023

Location: Rotorua, New Zealand

The owners of this home on the shores of Lake Rotorua have laid Vulcan Cladding (WB12 Profile 138x20) in a Brushed Finish onto battens over the home’s existing cladding, which now acts as a rigid air barrier.

While it wasn’t yet leaking, the existing cladding on this 15-year-old house was beginning to crack and needed to be replaced. This was especially noticeable on the eastern side of the home, which was exposed to the lakeshore and the sun.

Rather than a complete reclad, homeowners Gina and Aaron Donelley landed on this effective solution, which gives the house a new lease on life.

“Once the cladding was installed over the battens the existing joinery became 40-50mm recessed. So we used the Abodo thermally modified scribers to create a nice boxed frame and therefore hide the battens.”

This was a relatively simple solution, compared to the alternative. A complete reclad would have required building consent and waterproofing processes, which can be both costly and time consuming. The mono pitch roof on the home did provide an extra challenge to make the new cladding layer meet with the roofline. Luckily for the homeowners, the builders enjoyed working with the Vulcan product.

“Every builder we know who has used the Abodo products loves working with it and the wood waste is environmentally friendly,” says Gina.

“For us, it’s also great to know we are using a local product. Because the timber was being delivered from Auckland, not from overseas like alternative products, we were able to order more when we needed to.”

Gina admits to a certain amount of bias in her decision to choose Abodo, as she and her husband own one of the sawmills where the timber is sourced from. However, she sees her choice as testament to the quality of the product.

Haumoana St Vulcan Cladding Protector Nero Abodo Wood 16

“Our relationship with the brand did inform our decision to use Protector – Nero to some degree, as we wanted to show how well this particular colour looks on a home. Additionally though, we chose it to contrast against the home’s stonework features and upper floor horizontal aluminum cladding.”

The WB12 profile of the timber was chosen to match the vertical lines in the existing cladding, with the result prompting many comments from passersby and visitors.

“We see thermal modification becoming more popular, with more people asking for it. For us it’s great to be using a natural product on our home.”

It should also give peace of mind to the homeowners that this new cladding is set to last at least twice as long as the previous cladding did, provided it is maintained well. Due to its thermal modification, the timber will also remain stable, important at an exposed location such as this one.

With its fresh face and clean vertical lines, the result is a timeless new look for this Rotorua home.