New Technologies Going into the Home -
New Technologies impact on your site all the time - here's some of the latest stuff.
New homes are being designed for new living styles. Built-in ‘Home Automation’, ‘sustainable materials’ and resource and energy efficient designs are gaining ground over traditional styles and materials. Anticipate new consumer demands – it will make your life easier and projects run more smoothly.
New Designs: Trends to open spaces and indoor and outdoor flow between have been long established. Sliding or folding concealed doors in aluminium and/or timber are used to create this open feeling, especially when flush with interior floors and outdoor decks, but remember you still have to keep the water from the external balcony or courtyard away from house.
Ecologically sourced materials will increasingly be demanded by your homeowner. Ensure you know where the materials come from – be they raw materials, e.g. especially tropical hardwood, or manufactured – concrete and new composite hardwood particle boards.
New products include:
- Modern central vacuum terminals.
- Action activated lighting for night movement.
- Zone controlled heating and ventilating units.
- Zone controlled Home Entertainment centres.
Houses are getting bigger so more use is being made of materials and components that have been around for a while, such as the variety of flooring options including finished exposed concrete and parquet. Bigger areas also mean greater movement in materials so there will be a greater focus on expansion control joints.
With cost and affordability for first time home owners becoming an issue this will be addressed politically as well as design-wise. Already the Housing Corporation is looking at new subdivisions with several levels of home standards.
Glass is playing an increased role in homes - double glazing (and perhaps even triple) to windows and the variety of glass with various properties will become standard in future homes. Durability of some products remains an issue yet to be resolved. A greater focus on internal moisture and its removal has already started.
Home Entertainment options with mini-theatre, surround-sound and zoned music areas becoming more common, so make sure any necessary concealed wiring is in place. Large television screens embedded in the wall can mean some serious extra weight hanging from the wall, there so consideration of the extra support requirements is essential to avoid distortions to walls after the unit is mounted.
Security is becoming more of an issue these days and small surveillance cameras and remote monitoring systems are becoming more common.
New Technologies on the Site
New materials keep on coming as New Zealand has greater access into international markets and new ideas, however the leaky building syndrome has meant revised Building Consent requirements and tightening of these will impose more pressure on full documentation to describe their installation.
New paint technology, especially with dark colours, reflects heat from the surface, reducing stress on the coating and substrate and subsequent heat related damage improving the longevity of each. The technology also minimises build up of unwanted heat in the building reducing air-conditioning and cooling costs. There are also new paint products protecting against graffiti, and, of course, ecologically friendly paints.
Lasers are replacing mechanical devices in both levels and measures, complete with a separate target plate when staged measuring is necessary. Yes you had better check this out www.triginstruments.co.nz and www.nz-lasertools.com
The Internet is becoming a valuable tool for builders with not only information resources being available but retail outlets specific to builders as well, including a new online only shop selling tools for builders, complete with product information www.ncb.co.nz. Carters has an excellent online ordering system, as well: www.carters.co.nz, and their competitors can’t be far away. If you know what you want, order it online for delivery and save yourself time. There are options for internet access from on-site using wireless technology. Your laptop will become as important to you as your hammer.
It’s too early for cellphones to be used to access the Internet for product ordering – it’s clumsy and slow – but they are useful for: photographic records, recording notes to do, calendar, and PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) are, in effect, mini-computers and can be used for project management charts, documenting items straight away, as well as for making phone calls.
The complexity of bracing elements means more understanding and information including on site fixing requirements is needed. The new Gibraltar Board bracing requirements at www.gib.co.nz have simplified the options and made calculations easier and there is a wealth of information on the website for builders. Bracing can be achieved other ways through external cladding and sheathing and there are lots of details at product sites including www.jameshardie.co.nz. www.wallbracing.org/index.cfm, Superbrace high density wood fibre sheet has a range of bracing element options: www.thelaminexgroup.co.nz, as does Ecoply: www.ecoply.co.nz. There are brace straps: www.pryda.co.nz; Flexibrace has been around for a while and has full details can be found at www.mii.com/newzealand.
Another alternative metal bracing system recently introduced is a premade timber panel with a diagonal tensioning bar that can now be incorporated in the factory prepared pre-nail frame: www.canbrace.com; Lumberlok roof bracing specification and requirements are available at www.miteknz.co.nz.