18 greensmart

in regards to sustainable design and construction, and the rest is history.’

The team at Beach House set about designing a home that incorporated as many GreenSmart principles as possible. Mark says he relished the chance to work on such a large block, as it meant there were essentially no limits on the number of energy-saving features he could put in place.

‘We were fortunate enough to have a great palette in regards to the land [the client] had to work with, because it wasn’t a standard residential block, it was a 3.5-acre rural block,’ he explains.

‘We didn’t really have any restrictions as such, so we were then able to put into practice all those things that you wouldn’t normally be able to do on a standard 600 to 700 square-metre residential site.’

Without overshadowing dwellings on neighbouring blocks to impact on the house, Mark was able to position it to take advantage of the ideal north-facing passive orientation. The design features two

This compact custom-built home on a sprawling block in rural

Victoria ticks all the right boxes.

story > Amelia Dale

LIVING

2015 custom built home

LOW-IMPACTLOW-IMPACTLIVINGLOW-IMPACTLIVINGLIVING

hen builder Mark Plant was approached by a client wanting a sustainable home custom-built on a large

rural block in a small Victorian town, he knew it was an opportunity to create something special.

His company, Beach House Constructions, is built around the premise that every home it designs and builds should be as energy-, waste- and water-efficient as possible. These were also the top priorities for the client.

‘The client, before they knew us, went to another draftsperson in the local area who didn’t have a great deal of experience in regards to sustainable design and building,’ Mark explains.

‘They became a bit frustrated, and actually contacted HIA and asked for a GreenSmart accredited builder in the area. So they got our details and came and had a chat to us, and we got on really well. We explained our ethos

greensmart 19

connected lineal wings: the living spaces in the north wing capture the northern sunlight, while the bedrooms to the south are shaded to ensure they remain cool during summer.

Two large 22,500-litre water tanks were installed, enabling the property to be run using solely rainwater with no connection to mains water.

Other features include ThermAL double-glazed windows, a grid-connected solar photovoltaic system, a worm farm that processes all organic waste from the home, and materials sourced locally wherever possible. Insulation was used not only in the ceilings and internal and external walls, but also between the floor joints in the timber sub-floor, making the home extremely efficient to heat and cool.

‘When you walk into the main living area on a winter’s day that may be, say, 12 to 15 degrees outside with some sun, the way we’ve orientated the windows means you’ve got sunlight coming in and heating it up internally. And the room actually has an ambient temperature of about 18 degrees, with no [artificial heating] required,’ Mark says.

But the project was not without its challenges – working within the limits of a strict $300,000 budget meant every feature was carefully considered, with special attention paid to ordering only what was needed and reusing or recycling all excess materials.

Mark says the end result of this project proves that you don’t need to spend a fortune to get an efficient and beautiful custom-built home – something the judges recognised when they awarded it 2015 HIA GreenSmart Custom Built Home of the Year. He hopes that all new homes built in Australia will prioritise sustainability in a similar way.

‘It’s very important for our future,’ he says. ‘Sustainable homes cost a lot less to live in, not only from a financial point of view for the consumer, but also in regards to the amount of wastage [that results] from running a home.’ gs

BUILDER Beach House ConstructionsPhillip Island, VIC t:0418 595 410www.beachhouseconstructions.com.au

PRODUCTS> Zero formaldehyde joinery> Argon gap, low-e double-glazed windows> R5 ceiling insulation and R2.5 internal

and external wall insulation> Low VOC paints> LED lighting> 5kW grid-connected photovoltaic system> Solar hot water system> External sun shades to north-

and west-facing windows> Radial sawn Victorian silvertop

external cladding> Reversible ceiling fans> Worm farm for waste processing

PROJECT COST $309,800

TIME TAKEN TO CONSTRUCT 7 months

ENERGY EFFICIENCY RATING 7.5 stars

CONSTRUCTION DETAILS

IDEAS ANYONE CAN USE

A home worm farm is a great way to ensure your organic household waste goes back into sustaining the environment. Worms eat organic waste, such as food scraps, and turn it into liquid fertiliser that you can use in your garden, reducing the amount of waste going to landfill and making your garden more sustainable.

THE NORTH WING CAPTURES THE NORTHERN SUNLIGHT WHILE THE BEDROOMS TO THE SOUTH...REMAIN COOL DURING SUMMER

living

study

garage

entry

laun

dry

kitc

hen

bed 1 bed 2

porch

porch

bath

pantry

deck

deck