Purchased a sloping block facing the east with a good northerly aspect. The house was designed to meet very tight constraints imposed because the town is in a water catchment area for Barwon Water. A normal septic tank with several leachate lines was not an option because of the highly reactive clay on site.
With all of the restrictive criteria in focus the house-planning proposal centred upon the area required to consume the treated effluent from the septic system.
Crucial to the planning permit was that all treated effluent produced on the block was to be consumed on the block. Very little, if any treated effluent is able to be absorbed into the site during the wet months. A proposal was accepted which absorbed or consumed the treated effluent by utilising water-absorbing plantings in a system of reed beds and Niimi trenches.
The block is approximately 1100 square metres in size. The majority of the available space on the block is designated for the designed effluent disposable field.
With the septic system in place, the remaining area of the block was set up to accommodate a simple, small foot-print dwelling of 2 bedrooms.
An essential design element of the block is the slope to the street. After some deliberation, an excavation took place at the front of the block to allow under floor parking and storage.
Parts of the design concepts were to provide summer shade to the exposed sides of the dwelling. The wide veranda to the east gives the under floor car parking area; whilst the narrower veranda to the north offers summer shade to windows and doors. Both covered verandas are an integral part of the water-harvesting plan.
The dwelling has been created to utilise all available vertical and horizontal space, with an emphasis to blend into the local streetscape yet offer a modern home with an over abundance of living options.
Category no.
Main name
Drop Box options
1
House Style & Lifestyle
New, almost finished, very compact home over 3 levels, attic/chalet style, owner builder, designer, Semi Rural, Couple
2
Building & Construction
Hardie Board cladding, timber frame and timber trusses, external veranda system, “bracing ply” board interior, no plaster, no internal paint, only lacquer
3
Thermal Mass
Serious insulation of under-floor, walls, ceiling and roof space. Utilisation of under floor and internal thermal mass. Timber floor, internal walls, and large internal air mass
4
Garden / Outdoors
Reed Beds, Niimi trenches and limited subsurface irrigation in geotextile fabric, all for treated effluent absorption in the effluent disposal field. Water wise plants, native and exotic, designed terraced water catchment areas on sloping block
5
Water Harvesting
Passing/available mains water not connected.
Designed rainwater catchment, plumbed to water tanks. Utilisation of treated black water. Storm water collection with direction across the block to water gardens and trees.
Ultimately, solar pumped, gravity feed water to the house
6
Renewable Energy
Ultimately, PV grid connect, and wind generated power supply.
7
Heating & Cooling
Cooling, is via passive, insulated thermal mass.
Heating is by slow combustion wood heater with hot plates and oven. The heater, when operational, has a wet back heat exchanger to supply hot water to the hot water service
8
Water Heating
Gravity fed cold water service to the low pressure hot water tank, boosted by Solar Hot Water panels (3), and the wood-stove wet back system. Ideally no off-site energy input.
9
Fixtures & Fittings
Double glazing of all living area windows, sustainable timber construction throughout, ultimately blinds, external shading, low VOC paints, floor treatment, smart meter
10
Appliances
Energy efficiency.
Appliance reduction
(August 2011) (
