Green renovations to house in full swing

The house that sat crumbling on a weed-choked Castlecliff section is finally beginning to emerge from its neglect.
The 100-year-old house in Arawa Place is the workshop and future home of Dani and Nelson Lebo.
The couple are renovating the house using eco-thrifty principles that are good for the environment and their pockets.
The Wanganui Chronicle first met Dani and Nelson in December, when work began on the renovations.
They designed their renovations around passive solar heating and energy efficiency.
One month on, the house is not quite able to be lived in but the couple hopes to move in late February.
The sunny north corner of the house - which had been the bathroom - is in the process of being converted into a kitchen-dining room, with part of a wall knocked down to allow light into the lounge next door.
"It was so dark, it was like a dungeon," Dani said.
A multi-fuel stove in the kitchen will be used for both heating and cooking. Insulation is being put in.
The house has water and electricity, but no working toilet as yet.
The native timber deck has been taken away - with the wood to be re-used as a fence - and will be replaced with a patio made of second-hand bricks, to help with passive solar heating.
Dani and Nelson regularly scour auctions and sites such as Trade Me for second-hand bargains - like a solid kauri door, in perfect condition, which they picked up for $100.
Most of the weeds have been banished from the garden and a flourishing vegetable garden has taken their place, along with some young ducks and hens.
"Mostly we got them for pest control and fertiliser, but the eggs will be a bonus," Dani said.
Nelson described the renovations as "bare bones".
"The main thing is that it's water tight, structurally sound and energy efficient." They have done most of the work themselves, although they have had an electrician and plumber in, as well as advice from a builder friend.
Dani said they wanted to show that it was not hard to make life "a little greener".
"The house will be a little smarter, and cheaper to run."
Dani and Nelson Lebo are running a variety of workshops on eco-thrifty house renovation throughout January. For more information, visit their website www.theecoschool.net