The Little Pig Building Company

“So here we are having sold in the North Island and ready to build a house on a block of land we had bought deep in the Marlborough Sounds. “Can you build us a straw bale scorpion?” Nick Marer must have thought he’d got a prize lot here, but it never showed. A link with an architect and out came plans for our straw bale house with Nick’s Little Pig Building Company the contractor. Open plan linking to a large covered outdoor living area, a curved roof with dormer windows catching a hold of the morning sun and depositing it at our feet on the south and sunless side of the house – just one obvious feature of this house of straw. Why Straw Bale? We’d seen one in the North Island and been instantly sold on the concept. There are many shades of warmth and the temperature one is to be expected. But the aesthetic warmth created by the not straight walls shouts the WOW factor. Why Little Pig Building Company? Straight from the first meeting we came away saying “well we’ve found our builder”. Scorpions aside, Nick’s friendly yet business like attitude gave us the confidence that this guy knows his stuff, has a great pride in his workmanship and will deliver the goods. At no stage either before, during or after construction have we had reason to change this opinion. As for the house? Well, three years down the track never a day goes by without feeling, this is the best house we have every lived in. The warmth in the winter is matched by the cool in the summer, the insulation is just so perfect. The only complaint is that we should have lived in one years ago.”