April 2010

Some more photos taken on a recent visit of the house. The rain has filled the tanks, the garden is flourishing and the house is ready for residents. The front entry has been marked by the original painted metal number plate.
Entry with polished concrete floor, ironbark battens, hoop pine doors, soffit lining of original house's floor boards. Outer door has a large crimsafe panel for secure natural ventilation.Pull handle to front door using reycled hardwood

Plant room - the least glamorous of all the spaces but the most active and interesting - grey water treatment (including worms), filtration, pumping and reticulation of rainwater, grey water and town water, monitoring of energy use, invertor for solar power...and a wine cellar beyond.Leadlight window of old louvre blades from the original house in the entry space, created by Annerley Glassworks

1 watt LED light in recycled hardwood base within entry stair wall (recycled hardwood framing and recycled hoop pine facing)
Bedroom with louvres through to Gallery to catch cross-breezes from river.

DINING ROOM - shelving made from the original hoop pine floor boards, hoop pine doors, original, unpainted vjs.View from main stair to Gallery (northward)Kitchen through stair screen of original house's pine rafters
Lower stairway
Lower bathroom, tucked under stair. Polished concrete slab floor, simple white wall tiles and water-efficient fittings.
The rosella bush is already fruiting and other plants are taking off after the heavy rains.

History of the house

It seems the original house was built around 1930. At the end of construction, Rob the builder was approached by Lyndall Low who, with her grandmother, has watched the building site and blog with keen interest. Lyndall grew up in the house. Her grandmother, now in her 90's, had the original house built by her brother and husband from timber they harvested and milled at Blackbutt, 165 km from the site.

The family was particularly enamored of the project as the timber was such a special part of their family heritage and all of it was preserved.

I hope to add more detail to this tale....

All finished

The handover of the keys to the proud owners of the Hill End Ecohouse occurred on the 19th of March. Some fine-tuning of landscaping and final touches have continued beyond. The house attracted large numbers during our invitation-only tours and 3 tours for the Australian Institute of Architects, leaving the architecture and building teams exhausted but happy to be able to share the building and knowledge.

Due to the house's rigorous aim to be sustainable and its high recycled content (estimated at 80%), the building has attracted media attention as far as Norway, China and New York and there have been almost 17,000 hits on this blog in a year. Our hope for this project was to inspire interest in sustainable building practices to a deeper level than just applying solar panels, sunshading and water tanks and that seems to be happening.

Such project couldn't have occurred without such dedicated and uncompromising clients. An architect's dream.

Here are some photos of the finished work by Chris Frederick Jones
Furniture from Retro ModerneStreet elevation with solar panels, just visibleEntry space with recycled hoop pine flooring stair divider. Leadlight window of old louvre blades is on the left. Artwork by Michael PhillipsNorth (street) facing balcony shared by front bedrooms/work spaces.Gallery space looking towards river. Courtyard to east (left) covers rainwater tanks (see earlier entries). Print in distance by Michael PhillipsCourtyard view back to Gallery and Dining (left). Print in Dining room by Michael PhillipsDining room with polished concrete floor, limewashed walls and recycled vj ceiling. Artwork by Michael Schlitz. View to river through staircaseKitchen with view to Dining. Stained and clear hoop pine cabinetry is throughout the house (no particle board)
Outdoor living connected to Kitchen and Living
Study
View from the rear - pool below, outdoor living and living with bedroom balcony at the top