“Convertible” House at Stringybark 2020

House Notes – “Convertible” House at Stringybark

The unique design of the Convertible House with its barrel vault ceiling gives a small space a big feel. The aim was to create a home that had minimal impact on the environment through the use of good orientation for passive solar gain and use of the natural resources available on site – rainfall and solar.

Innovation was the key. We wanted to use as much new building technology as possible. This included Mega Anchor foundations – minimal soil disturbance, no trenches, no concrete. Pre-fabricated Hopleys Steel forms the structure of the building and, because the external wall is the only load-bearing wall, we were able to custom-design the interior dividing walls. Large sliding, double-glazed doors form most of the north wall, with small double-glazed skylight windows on the south side. A colorbond roller shutter covers the double-glazed doors on the east side.

The building is rated BAL29 for bushfire protection. A 10,000L bladder bag collects water from the roof. The house relies on off-grid solar power and a battery bank with generator backup. Hot water is supplied via solar evacuated tube with gas booster. All waste water from the house goes directly to a worm farm for processing and doesn’t leave the site. The house is nestled in 20 acres of native bushland and uses exterior colours that blend with this environment. The design and insulating properties of the house make it comfortable all year round with minimal heating and cooling, even in Ballarat.

The house also achieved 10 stars with the Victorian Residential Efficiency Scorecard. If you would like to find out more click here.

Designed and built by Designology.

This house achieved a NatHERS rating of 7.2 stars using NatHERS accredited software (First Rate5). Find out how the star ratings work on the Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme (NatHERS) website.

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Sustainability Features

Years Open
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENT FEATURES
    • Energy efficiency:
    • Draught proofing
      Efficient lighting
      Efficient appliances
    • Passive heating cooling:
    • Passive solar designed home
    • Active heating cooling:
    • Ceiling fans

    • Active heating cooling:
    • Small slow combustion wood heater
    • Water heating:
    • Solar hot water (evacuated tube)
    • Water harvesting and saving features:
    • Worm farm septic tank system
    • Energy Efficient Lighting
    • LED lights throughout
      Natural daylight
      Skylight
      Solar skylight
    • Window Protection:
    • Awnings (external)

    • Window Protection:
    • Roller door
SUSTAINABLE & RECYCLED MATERIALS
    • Recycled and reused materials:
    • Recycled rubber/cork composite flooring
    • Sustainable materials:
    • Steel, compressed cement sheet
INSULATION SPECIFICATIONS
    • Insulation Type:
    • Ceiling
      Internal walls
      Floor
    • Ceiling Type:
    • Aircell Insulbreak sarking, R4.0 batts
    • Ceiling Rating:
    • R4.0 + 1 layer of foil
    • Floor Type:
    • Wet areas = 18mm compressed cement sheets, dry areas = 19mm plywood
    • Floor Rating:
    • R3.0
    • Internal / External Walls Type:
    • R2.0 batts
    • Internal / External Walls Rating:
    • R2.0
    • Internal Walls Insulation Type:
    • Bulk – natural wool
    • Internal Walls Insulation Rating:
    • R4.0
RENEWABLE ENERGY SPECIFICATIONS
    • All-Electric Home?
    • No
    • Renewable energy used:
    • Solar PV off-grid
    • Size of PV system:
    • 14kW
COSTS AND COST SAVINGS
    • Total cost of home when constructed:
    • $450,000
    • Estimate of annual savings:
    • $2,000 p.a.
HOUSE DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS
    • House Size
    • 136m2 approx.
    • BAL Rating
    • BAL – 29: Increasing levels of ember attack and ignition of debris with a heat flux of up to 29kW/m2
    • Roof
    • Metal (Colorbond)
    • Wall Materials
    • Lightweight construction (steel frame)
      Lightweight construction (timber frame)
    • Window and Door Types
    • Awning
      Double glazing
      Skylights
      Sliding windows/doors
    • Universal design accessability
    • Adaptive design
    • Universal Design Features
    • 80cm minimum door opening width
      No Corner cupboards
      Ramps and path gradients must be less than 20:1
      Remote power open and close doors
      Shower head on rail for various heights
      Slip resistant flooring
      Tapware to be easily accessed from outside the shower
      Washing machine/dryer on plynth for easy access
      Window openings easily accessible
    • Number of bedrooms
    • 1
    • Number of bathrooms
    • 1
GARDEN AND WASTE REDUCTION
    • Garden / Outdoors
    • Composting
      Native plants
    • Waste Reduction Practices:
    • Compost all food scraps
      Recycle
HEALTHY HOME FEATURES
    • Healthy home features
    • Airtight house design
      Cross flow ventilation
      Low VOC paints/sealer/varnish
Location
Scarsdale VIC 3351
    • Housing Type:
    • Standalone House
    • Project Type:
    • New Build
    • Open with support of
    • BREAZE Ballarat renewable energy and zero emissions co op.
    • Builder
    • Designology – Kevin Starling
    • Designer
    • Designology – Kevin Starling

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