Location
My wife and I bought a large (1ha) block just over 1km from the Wangaratta CBD so that we could access town on foot, meaning we could live with one car after we both stop working. The block is located near the King River and is very scenic, having 2 large red gums and many saplings. We have a levee bank on 2 sides, which is zoned rural and therefore cannot be developed in the future. I run an environmental company from home and we manage the bulk of the block for its natural values, which requires little maintenance.
Siting
We were able to site the house so that it maximized solar access and the views of the property to the north by placing our pad in the SW corner of the block, allowing us to design a house which had large windows to the north. We were able to take fill to make a wetland from a shallow depression on our property and use it to make a high level house pad.
Design
Using solar passive design principles our floor plan involved our living room and kitchen on the north and our bedroom on the east (morning sun) and my home office on the west. We separated the southern part of the house, where there are 2 other bedrooms and a bathroom, to reduce heating and cooling costs. We opted for a relatively flat butterfly roof with a clerestory over the kitchen. On the NW side of the house, next to the wetland we located an outdoor area with insect proof screens to feel part of the environment. We needed to manage the budget tightly and used conventional materials and standard measurements wherever possible, which was assisted greatly by using a very experienced builder from a project building company. In nearly all matters we used the information sheets provided by Sustainability Victoria and found them particularly useful. The frame is made of steel to prevent termite problems in the long term.
External
The external skin was standard brick veneer with heavy bagging and hardy plank under the eaves and the roof was Colorbond. Insulation throughout the external walls and roof was achieved using high rating batts.
Floor
A feature of the house is the polished concreted throughout the living area and office, which used local 20mm river rock in the screening and we added black basalt stones to add to the solar capacity of the thermal mass. The main bedroom has dark brown tiling to passive warming.
Windows
All windows in the northern part of the house are double glazed, whilst those in the southern part are comfort plus to reduce thermal loss and reduce costs. Window frames are aluminium and most are sliding for good air flow and the clerestory windows can be opened remotely to expel hot air in summer. The Sustainable Energy Info Pack on Window placement and sizing was very useful in guiding window sizes and locations i.e. large windows to north, small and fewer windows elsewhere. Eave lengths were designed to exclude sun from October-March. We also placed awnings to exclude summer sun outside the main bedroom and office windows.
Heating
The passive heating in cool times is assisted by using a thermostatically controlled Energysaver Gas Space heater in the living area.
Cooling
Cross flow ventilation, ceiling fans and thermal mass are sufficient for all but the hottest days when we utilize an evaporative air conditioner.
Water
The down pipes are plumbed to either the wetland or a 10,000 litre water tank for garden watering.
Hot water and electricity
Gas boosted solar and a 2 kilowatt photovoltaic array is grid connected and the figures suggest that the price obtained for the exported excess energy will more than cover and all imported power, including gas.
(July 2011) (
