Current projects
(Rollover images for some construction shots)

House at Binalong Bay, Tasmania.
A pole structure with steel, hardwood and sandstone infill walls. By setting the house on four levels, views of Binalong Bay 200 metres to the east can be enjoyed from every habitable room. In winter, all rooms benefit from the penetration of warming northern sunlight.

Eco-features include solar collectors which thermosiphon warm air to a centrally located Thermal Mass. That warmth can then be circulated to living and bedrooms via operable vents as required. In summer, the Thermal Mass, clerestory windows and operable southern vents create cooling cross-ventilation.

Water is heated by solar collectors with a fuel heater for back up. The house will draw grid electricity initially but feed it back in the future from solar panels. No waste will leave the site thanks to the use of composting toilet and onsite greywater management.

 

House overlooking Byron Bay.
A sandstone, hardwood and steel construction featuring a sheltered central courtyard with spectacular framed views to the Bay in the east and the Wilson Creek valley to the west. Eco-features include composting toilet, on-site grey water treatment and solar hot water system. Winter heating is provided by devices including a Trombe wall which also assists cross-ventilation in summer. Provisions have been made for a future solar to grid system.

The development includes a custom designed Ecohut structure to be used as a Studio 60 metres from the main house.

Extension at Richmond Hill
The existing building was a modified steel shed located on the best house site on this small rural block. It had been fitted out for temporary accomodation and was connected to grid power and town water. It also had a composting toilet which really had to stay where it was on the south side of the building.

By adding a new wing on the north-facing slope behind the shed it was possible to create a new bathroom and laundry without moving the toilet. Two new bedrooms and an office and were also included. The extension capitalises on great views to the north with a new deck and features a breezeway which brings cool air from the south into the Living and Dining rooms on the ground floor. The western side of the building is provided with summer shade by the addition of a pergola and carport.

These additions and the merging of roof lines softens the blunt presentation of the original shed and creates a new home which is both appealing and cost-effective. The addition of solar panels feeding back to the grid and a new rainwater collection system mean that the finished home will be almost completely self-sufficient.

 

House at Richmond Hill
This steel pole house nestles on a north facing slope taking advantage of views across a floodplain out to a distant Mt Warning. It features a generous covered deck which is directly accessible from all rooms on the main floor, including the bathroom. Sliding doors on the south allow the occupants easy access to ground level and promote cross-ventilation. A storage room below the upstairs bedroom features workbenches which slide out to the carport area and internally to a workroom where the owner develops her garment designs. Special racks are placed to allow canoes to be slid straight off the car into secure storage.

The house features composting toilet, greywater treatment system, solar hot water and a 2kw solar to grid power system. Both the owner and her builder were keen to use the Ecohut steel framing system, which was adapted by reversing the usual configuration of the Skillion style roof.

 

House at Hervey Bay
Solar passive design principles have been applied in the design of this house on a long narrow block with easterly views across the Great Sandy Strait to Fraser Island. The floorplan allows the views and refreshing SE sea breezes to be enjoyed from all the Bedrooms as well as the Living, Dining, Kitchen and Rumpus rooms. Entry is via a vented double- height atrium which acts as a 'solar chimney', drawing fresh air through the house. Generous covered decks allow the clients to indulge in the outdoor living and entertaining they enjoy.

Level 1 is rendered masonry while Level 2 is clad in Colorbond Steel and features hardwood weatherboards to the eastern walls. The finished house will collect all it's own water, re-use greywater and utilise Solar water heating.