Huge ‘Earth Palace’ Completed After 13 Years – 137 Matatara Road, Upokongaro, Whanganui

A unique and unusual 384 sqm cob house just out of Whanganui has just been completed after 13 years. The house was listed for sale late last year, but decorative finishing touches continued. Potential buyers are getting excited. The hand-crafted old-Europe-style house and serenity of the property are the drawcards.

Built to the NZ Earth Building Standard with 80 tonnes of reinforced clay and rock, plus big concrete pillars and steel beams, it’s affectionately known as the Earth Palace. It was a labour of love for its builders, and even has a room for a cinema. Cob is one of the oldest building techniques on Earth and the oldest buildings are made from it. The mixture is hard and strong. The house got a Code Compliance Certificate in 2012.

The 350mm-thick downstairs walls provide outstanding insulation, with the house feeling like it’s air conditioned in summer and warmed all day and night in winter. Owner David Mulholland says “It’s lovely to go downstairs in bare feet on a winter morning and feel warm.”

The clay came from the 13 hectare property, much of which is a protected wetland with rare birds. Only 20 minutes from the centre of Whanganui, Mulholland says it feels a world away, with no immediate neighbours, abundant wildlife, and sounds only from nature. “If you’re a hunkering down type but still want easy access to great cultural amenities and cafes, this is a perfect place. It’s also within easy reach of Wellington – I work from home and can pop down to the office there for a day.”

The house is off-the-grid, generating its own power from the sun. It produces enough to run all the usual household appliances bar a big oven, functioning much like a normal house. It even has electric garage doors. It has a large Aga-style woodstove and there is room for a gas oven.

The house was built for a large family, with multiple living spaces, four bedrooms and a large study, three bathrooms, and a huge kitchen. It would lend itself well to also being an eco-retreat or small weekend event space, with an area that could be separated off and scope for expansion.

Listing agent Knud Bukholt of Bayleys says the property is well set up, with large water tanks, its own sewage treatment plant, a generator if needed, a cute cob chookhouse and shed, a hut that could be spruced up for extra accommodation, fruit trees and its own small lake. There is space for extensive gardens. It’s a solid house and relatively new. Bukholt gives a price guide of $1 million+.

Click here for more information on the listing.

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