Axon Panel restores Homeowners Faith

In 2004 Fred Kearns began building a new home in the central-west Auckland suburb of Pt Chevalier. Unfortunately, four years later, Fred is still in the process of finishing his home.

At the final council inspection, Fred was advised that the cladding material specified for and installed on his house did not meet the fire-rating recommendations for its proximity to the boundary.

For various reasons, Fred was unable to remove the cladding and fireproof the wall behind. And, not wishing to have a hotchpotch of different claddings on his brand-new house, he had no option but to reclad his entire house. So began his search for another suitable (and compliant) cladding product.

'When I looked around at what I could use, it was only James Hardie products that met the fire ratings in this situation,' he says.

He tossed up between Axon Panel and Titan' Fa'ade Panel, and opted for the former because he liked the product's vertical detailing.

'The minimum fire rating required by council is 30 minutes, but Axon Panel actually provides 60 minutes, so it's double the requirement,' says Fred. 'We're still in the process of re-cladding ' the job's about three quarters of the way finished ' but I can see that I've made a really good decision choosing Axon Panel.  Since it's been up, the house actually looks better than it did before. The previous cladding was just flat panels, but the vertical lines really enhance the design of the house.'

Fred's new builder, Kris Heissenbuttel from KDH Construction, is carrying out the time-consuming reclad, and is determined to do an exceptional job for Fred.

'When we remove the old cladding, we have to comply with the new requirements for a re-clad and make sure the preparation for the new cladding is perfect,' says Kris. 'As well as repairing some of the existing construction defects, our focus is on getting the walls completely flat and making sure the detailing is right for the next section.'

Kris has been using James Hardie products for 15 years and frequently installs Titan Fa'ade Panel and Linea Weatherboard. He's now also done a few jobs using Axon Panel.

'James Hardie's panel products are good to work with. I really like using Axon and it looks great when it's up,' he says.

James Hardie wishes Fred all the best for the completion of his home, and is glad that he is so pleased with the look of his new Axon Panel.

PRODUCTS USED

Axon Panel from James Hardie