Build Good Architecture

16/04/2026

A couple of nights in Settlers Hut and I see unintentionally beautiful little details everywhere.

Little things that might seem rough or not polished like we see in the magazines and scrolling through here. What I see is honesty. To the materials. To the time.

It's rough. And it's perfect.

27/03/2026

Rain, rain go away.....

27/03/2026

Living in the Coromandel can see some big rain falls. Check out how much rain fell in 23 hours with me!

Still less than the 702mm in 36 hours back in January.

25/03/2026

Every kWh your home needs to stay warm, dry and healthy is locked in from day one — and power prices are only going one way. Up.

Most homes never question that.

We do.

Model the design before it’s built, and you can see exactly how it will perform — and where your money actually makes a difference.

I’ve seen (and lived) the gap between the two.

It’s not small.

Full breakdown in the post below — keen to hear your thoughts.

https://buildgood.co.nz/?p=6520

08/03/2026

Way back in 2019 when thinking about packing up and moving to the Coromandel Peninsula, we watched a refurbishment of Richmond Road School buildings circa 1920 across from us. A large pile of rimu sarking grew outside.

A box of beer changed hands and I selected a number of pieces with a view to eventually make a tip to replace the crappy one on our Freedom dining table.

Well, 6 years or so later it's been de-nailed, paint stripped and ready to be prepped for gluing up.

Soon we'll be sitting around our table that shows the nail holes and marks of being over 100 years old. Perfectly fitting for the Build Good Architecture headquarters.

04/01/2026

And it's Monday after Christmas and New Years just like that!

We have been working away since the 1st of January taking calls and meeting prospective clients.

While we have been working away intermittently, there are groups of our community that don't have a break and work tirelessly and mostly as volunteers - Tairua Volunteer Fire Brigade Coastguard Tairua Pauanui Tairua Surf Life Saving Club Inc. and St John's.

To recognise the importance of these organisations to our community and the work that they do - we'd like to offer to make a donation to the organisation of your choosing for each initial (complimentary) in-person consultation $20 and engagement, up to $500 completed before 8th of February 2026.

Let's help you to make your house and bach vision become a reality and support our community in 2026!

Call Steve on 0275089627 or email [email protected] today!

20/11/2025

More exciting news! Our Director Steve Hughes will be joining Joe Lyth from Wel Architecture to present on his experience and observations of living in a renovated 1860s villa and an off-grid Passivhaus as part of Te Kāhui Whaihanga NZ Institute of Architects Importance of Energy Modelling webinar series.

As always he can't wait to share what he's discovered along the way and how you can save $5k on your heating bill each year!

Join us on Thursday 4th December 12pm-1pm

13/11/2025

We've been having a tidy up of our website and have added a new area called Thinking & Making, where we will be keeping you updated on our current projects and thoughts that keep our mind ticking over.

Our first few are now posted! Go and check them out!

One of the first is showing you the difference in what it can cost to heat your home!

Heating bills don’t have to hurt: what we learned from our lovely old villa. Before we moved to the Coromandel, we lived in a recently renovated, classic 1860s villa in Auckland. It was truly gorgeous, with high ceilings, polished floors, and plenty of charm. We lived in it, and in winter, we cert...

23/10/2025

🌿 Thinking of building a granny flat on the Coromandel? We can help make it real. 🏡

Great news! Yesterday the government passed into the law the Granny Flat Building Consent exemption! You can now build a self-contained dwelling up to 70m2 on your property!

BUT — there are still a number of hoops to jump through. And that’s where Build Good Architecture can help you navigate these less murky waters.

Here’s what you need to know:
✅ Your design must be drawn up by a Licensed Building Practitioner (LBP) or supervised by one (so you’re compliant and safe).
✅ It must comply with the New Zealand Building Code and TCDC’s planning rules.
✅ You’ll need to notify the council via a Project Information Memorandum (PIM).
✅ You must provide the council with all required documentation and certificates (design drawings, structural details, LBP supervision, etc.).
✅ Development contributions may still be required, depending on your zoning, infrastructure impacts and whether your zoning triggers these contributions.

Here on the Coromandel Peninsula we love a DIY spirit — and that’s fantastic. But navigating planning rules, council processes and all the paperwork can be a bit daunting if you haven’t done it before.

That’s where Build Good Architecture come in: we’re your designer to make this happen for you.

We’ll help you:
• Understand what TCDC want and what the site allows
• Develop a design that works with your land, your lifestyle and DIY-friendly build methods
• Liaise with council, organise the documentation and certificates
• Stay on top of development-contributions, zoning, service connections etc

If you’ve got a section, maybe you want an extra unit for family, guests or income — let’s chat!

Make the most of the new granny-flat opportunity without getting stuck in the paperwork.

👉 Drop us a message or call us on 027 508 9627 for a no-obligation chat about your site and what’s possible.

Let’s make your granny flat project smooth, stylish and compliant.

03/09/2025

We'll be presenting NZ's first off-grid Passive House and talkin about designing for solar and what it's really like to live off grid.

Join us in Auckland next Wednesday 10th September!

Details below!

https://www.eventbrite.co.nz/e/phinz-auckland-local-chapter-event-tickets-1653291592659?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=listing&utm-source=cp&aff=ebdsshcopyurl
g gg abouts iand nexterw

Off-grid Passive House Design

03/06/2025

Wow! Big news out of Australia! A recent study has found that energy efficient homes sell for a premium of 14.5% over non-efficient homes!

Green homes are mainstream – now let’s build them lighter