From floor to finial, a contemporary Tauranga timber villa

Errol Ward describes himself as an 'old-time builder' with a special affection for timber houses.

"I worked in Queensland in the 1970s and really liked the traditional old timber Queenslanders," Errol says. "I like the original New Zealand villas as well. I've enjoyed working with timber throughout my life."

Errol's feeling for the design possibilities of timber weatherboard can be seen in the modern villa he built in Tauranga last year. From floor to finial, the house incorporates many of the features that you would find in an early 20th century villa – but with the addition of modern products and design that make it a thoroughly contemporary home.

Jenkin A-lign cladding is one of the modern products that has been incorporated.

"It worked well for me," Errol said. "I'm now looking forward to building my second villa using Jenkin A-lign."

The choice of Jenkin A-lign appealed both to Errol's own taste, and the increasing preference of home buyers for solid timber cladding.

"Timber is seen as a very secure choice by home buyers these days. There are plenty of 100 year old timber weatherboard homes around and apart from replacing the odd board and giving them a paint every ten years, they just keep on doing the job."

We'll put some photos of Errol's next Jenkin A-lign house in a future edition of Proven. And if you want to have a good look inside the house featured in this story, check out www.nz.open2view.com/Property/221474.