Houzz Tours
Houzz Tour: Weekend Fishing Cabin Rises in New Zealand
A designer helps university professors create a year-round country haven on the grounds of a former church
Waipahi village, a dot on the map with a community hall, is five minutes’ drive from New Zealand’s country-western music capital of Gore. It’s so tiny that it doesn’t rate its own population count. But it is famous in New Zealand’s deep south as the home of the Waipahi Gold Cup, the oldest fishing competition in the nation, and some of the best brown trout fishing on the Waipahi River.
When two nearly retired professors from Otago University, one of whom is an enthusiastic fly fisher, found a deconsecrated church on the edge of town several years ago, they snapped it up for a weekend accommodation for themselves and friends. By 2013, they were ready to create a bit more privacy, as well as extra room for a garage and a woodworking shop. They commissioned architectural designer Nathan Taylor of Taylored Spaces to build a stand-alone cabin.
When two nearly retired professors from Otago University, one of whom is an enthusiastic fly fisher, found a deconsecrated church on the edge of town several years ago, they snapped it up for a weekend accommodation for themselves and friends. By 2013, they were ready to create a bit more privacy, as well as extra room for a garage and a woodworking shop. They commissioned architectural designer Nathan Taylor of Taylored Spaces to build a stand-alone cabin.
Architectural designer Nathan Taylor relishes this sort of project, believing that a well-thought-out space can produce a fantastic result in a reduced footprint. The cabin is positioned at an angle from the church for maximum solar gain, repeating the gable of the church but with crisp, modern glass.
Sanderson was particular about creating as thermally efficient an envelope as possible, and the couple wanted an environmentally friendly building too. Temperatures range from winter lows of 21 degrees Fahrenheit to summer peaks of 109. The couple have been delighted to arrive after their 90-minute drive from their primary home in Dunedin on a 27-degree evening to find the inside temperature a comfortable 62 degrees without any heating.
The single garage on the far right of the cabin gives interior access to Sanderson’s woodworking workshop, with a tiny kitchenette. The bedroom and bathroom are tucked off the hallway, with plenty of storage for coats and fishing gear (there is also loft storage above), leading to the showpiece of the cabin, a striking gable-roofed living room.
Taylor’s deceptively simple design has a fully glazed gable end on the north-facing living area, with a pitched ceiling to maximize sun and views. The private bedroom (pushed out to one side on the left of the photo) has deliberately smaller windows to frame rural views.
There was some negotiation with the client to arrive at the black and white color scheme: The clients had wanted to repeat the church shades of green and yellow, Taylor had originally proposed an all-black scheme, and this crisp scheme was the happy middle. Next summer, the couple will begin work on re-siding the 1932 church with clapboard and adding more insulation.
There was some negotiation with the client to arrive at the black and white color scheme: The clients had wanted to repeat the church shades of green and yellow, Taylor had originally proposed an all-black scheme, and this crisp scheme was the happy middle. Next summer, the couple will begin work on re-siding the 1932 church with clapboard and adding more insulation.
Walls are built from Supercrete autoclaved aerated concrete block, which has excellent thermal and acoustic properties. Taylor added performance ceiling insulation, thermally broken aluminum and high-specification glass for the windows, creating a thermal envelope that contains the naturally stored heat. This summer, Sanderson is building a barbecue, a smoker for his trout catches and even a pizza oven.
Even in the depths of winter, the homeowners love how the living room is open to the views. Taylor designed the windows to create a pleasing rhythm — the band of clerestories meets the roof angle exactly — as well as remain practical (they are reachable to open for summer ventilation). Vaulted ceilings and pared-back details create the impression of a much bigger room. The client and architect were delighted by the quality of work by the builder — in such a tiny space there was no place to hide poor detailing.
The passage to the right of the fireplace leads to the bedroom and an interior bathroom, with the workshop and garage beyond. There is a small kitchenette off the workshop for when the couple want to keep to themselves. A skylight provides natural light and ventilation, and there is loft storage above the garage for vacation toys.
In winter, the cabin is heated by a clean-burning and efficient Pyroclassic fire. Connected to a radiator system, it can quickly heat the house when the couple arrives. Local farms supply the wood, so the house is cheap to warm up.
The bedroom is tucked into a cozier space, with a lowered ceiling and thoughtfully placed window that frames the last of the summer sun and farmland views. When they are not fishing, the couple can run into Gore for its magnificent art gallery, cafes and restaurants, or it’s an easy 90-minute drive to the bustle of Queenstown.
A skylight maximizes natural light in the bathroom, with a corner shower saving on space.
A skylight maximizes natural light in the bathroom, with a corner shower saving on space.
Structural engineer: Bruce Chisholm of Hanlon and Partners
Builder: Peter Cooper of Jones and Cooper Builders
Builder: Peter Cooper of Jones and Cooper Builders
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Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: Gordon Sanderson and Suzanne Renner
Location: Waipahi, New Zealand
Size: 1,055 square feet (98 square meters); one bedroom, one bathroom
Architectural designer: Nathan Taylor of Taylored Spaces
The church is on a prominent site on the main road into Gore. There are expansive views to neighboring farmland, and the owners love that their only neighbors are cows and sheep. They appreciate that the churchyard doesn’t need the work of a big property, thus leaving more time for fishing.
The couple wanted their cabin to be a warm and sunny oasis for them, leaving the church for their guests. They also specified that the cabin be low maintenance and energy efficient, as they planned to use it year-round.