Pumice house built to last

Compressed pumice blocks, to be accurate.

Developers Rob Reid and Alan Bakker say the 180sq m house in Kawerau is also environmentally friendly, durable, warm in winter and cool in summer, fire-resistant, soundproof, rodent and insect-proof, handsome and affordable.

"This house breathes so, basically, it's a living unit," Mr Reid, a builder for more than 30 years, says of the prototype, which will be finished in a few weeks. "It will never fall to bits. I can't think why everyone wouldn't want one."

He says he can't wait to live in a pumice home himself.

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