Master Builders' - Sustainable Living Award !

On Friday night, Rob Peagram Builders (and the ecohouse) was awarded the 2010 Queensland Master Builders' Housing & Construction - Sustainable Living Award.

House on TV!

The house will be featured on Channel 7 at 7:30pm next Friday night 16th July. Here are some photos of the house as set up for the shoot (photos and decorating by our talented work experience interior designer, Philip Budgen) with furniture from Stylecraft, Robert Riddel's and Alice Hampson's personal collections with cushions by Mokum.

Garden growing

The garden is growing and fruiting. Some turkeys seem to be making themselves at home, shifting mulch onto the lower lawn and helping themselves to the juicy strawberries at the front.

I visited to check on the garden in preparation for a Better Homes and Gardens filming next week.

I just checked the number of visits to this blog - almost 20,000. I hope there are other ecohouses germinating out there.

For sale

The house is on the market and being auctioned next weekend. This was always the intention of our clients but we always hoped they'd end up living here.

Here is the agent's blurb.

HILL END ECOHOUSE IS A ONE OF A KIND RESIDENCE WITH SUSTAINABILITY AT THE CORE OF ITS DESIGN BRIEF. THIS REMARKABLE, ABSOLUTE RIVERFRONT PROPERTY HAS EMBRACED CONSERVATION IN EVERY ASPECT OF ITS DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION.

The architect Riddell Architecture, the clients and Robert Peagram Builders worked together to achieve the greenest home possible with a 6 star energy rating. From the dismantling of the original residence to the final landscaping touches, this vision has been realized with few compromises.

The building form responds to its unique site, drawing on elements of the Queensland home in a contemporary way. Large overhangs, window hoods, outdoor living spaces, blinds, lightweight building materials and generous ceiling heights, set within a lush landscape reflect this.

The rooms that populate the home are wonderfully scaled and the use of natural materials contributes a sense of warmth. With approximately 80% of the original home reused in the construction, quirky elements such as the original number at the front door, integrated lead lighting and recycled timber feature walls bring character.

Soaring ceiling spaces, light filled interiors, polished concrete and reclaimed timber flooring plus extensive windows capturing the pristine river views are some of the superb features.

The home sited on a long 683m2 block, has been constructed over three levels following and utilizing the natural contours of the site. The lower floor with a bedroom, media room and powder room, opens directly to a large covered deck with plunge pool, the lush back gardens, river and St Lucia.

The main level’s study and laundry are separated by a long wide gallery, perfect for housing the art collection, from the living zones including dining, meals, family room and a supremely functional and stylish kitchen. Two further bedrooms are positioned at the front of the home, elevated from the street to capture the cooling breezes.

These areas focus on the outdoors, either onto the very private central courtyard or through large expanses of glass to the river terrace and decks with unlined glass balustrade to maximize the river views.

The master suite, enjoying wonderful separation is sited on the upper level with a custom fitted walk in robe, ensuite and its own private riverfront balcony.

With conservation at its heart, the home features energy efficient lighting, solar power, 71000l of rainwater storage, grey water recycling system plumbed to irrigation and toilet and where possible all materials have been sourced from local manufacturers.

From the moment you step across the front pathways dotted with strawberry plants, cumquats and herbs its obvious this is somewhere special. This is a home to be proud of with a unique design and construction story, paving the way to a more sustainable future yet at no time compromising quality, function or beauty.

West End is a mecca for diverse eateries, great shopping bargains at wholesale outlets, farmers markets and a profusion of theatres, art galleries and museums. With the city centre just 3kms away, parklands and the close proximity of the City Cat, this home is ideally positioned to enjoy a cosmopolitan lifestyle and throw away the car keys.

Solar power

According to our solar power installer, Mark Wright of Stand Alone Power Supplies, the house has now been generating an average of 13.5kWh/day. September, October and November are the best months for the 20 degree roof pitch so the panels will generate more power and increase the daily average.

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