About Us; The Team Behind The Work
...Various Press Clippings...
Guy Williams reporting for the Waikato Times November 1999
A Matamata pair have erected five distinctive buildings using a construction
system developed last millennium. In the US it's known as post and beam, in
Britain, oak framing. Most Kiwis would call it 'Tudor-style'. Perhaps surprisingly,
British-born builders Dewi Roberts and Gordon Brouncker have adopted the American
term as the name of their business.
For the last four years, based from their Matamata workshop, Dewi and Gordon have built distinctive, houses whose design origins predate the discovery of America by centuries.
Dewi says the distinguishing feature of a classic 'post and beam' building is a structure that is visible from both inside and outside. In contrast to conventional building methods in which the framing is hidden, the skeletons of their houses are revealed in all their glory. Rough sawn, untreated hardwood is hewn into trunk-like posts and massive cross beams. High wooden ceilings and polished wooden floors are typical.
"There are fewer members, they're bigger and they're on show," saysDewi.
Outside, plastered walls or wooden battens often give their houses
the distinctive Tudor style that is often imitated in New Zealand houses
and buildings. No nails or other metal connections are used in the framing
- connections are locked using wooden pegs, using tools that are as
old as the method itself chisels, heavy mallets and plumbobs.
The pair have built five houses in and around Matamata and are working on a sixth. Once on the building site, Dewi and Gordon make their biggest concession to technology -cranes are used to lift the frames into place. In the past, this used to be a communal activity with the whole village or neighbourhood manning the ropes.
Gordon says post~and-beam construction was developed in the previous millennium, reaching its artistic height around the 11th century. Along with stone construction it remained the dominant method up until the 19th century. While New Zealand architects and builders have long used elements of its style, the pair know of no one else in New Zealand using an "authentic" post and beam system.
It was the demands of a growing family that got Dewi hooked on this method. A dairy farmer for 15 years, he was looking at options for building his own home when he was introduced in 1990 to a man who had built his own home using an American version of the system. Having lived in Wales he had seen many old buildings of this type, but had considered the traditional methods to be "dead and buried". · When he saw that the technique could still be used in a modern-day context he was inspired to have a go himself.
"It gave the home a completely different atmosphere there was 'something about' the generosity and strength of the frame "You think, gee, this is going to last."
Two years later, he used the same method to build his own house. It was through the attention generated by that house that Dewi met Gordon.
An English-born art school graduate, Gordon spent four years working for a firm building in the traditional style before he emigrated to New Zealand in 1991 with the dream of building his own home. He was living near Auckland when a friend mentioned a newspaper article about a bloke who had built an unusual home near Matamata. He contacted Dewi and a partnership was formed.
Their current project is a 300sq m, two-storey, baronial-style home for a professional couple and their family. The couple asked them to build their home after visiting a house built by the pair in 1996. Dewi describes the design process as client-driven.
"We work with them and explore the possibilities."
All their clients have shared an enthusiasm and commitment both to the concept and the ongoing project. They use a scrapbook of photos and drawings that clients can use as a "shopping list". Some may want the interior framing revealed in only parts of the house, such as the kitchen or living room. Dewi and Gordon then work closely with the architect or draughtsman during the drawing process. He estimates that for a house of standard size and features, one of their houses would cost 15-20 per cent more than a conventional house.
They have adapted the system to New Zealand tastes and materials - for their current project they are using eucalyptus for the framing - a strong, hard timber that has been milled near Cont'd.. the building site. Dewi doesn't see the point in using pinus radiata.
"We want a frame that is distinctive in character and materials."
With an eye on expansion, they have spent the last year developing the design and draughting aspect of their business.