Conventional corrugated iron cladding on a timber frame, elevated on steel stilts and supported by 17 concrete pier footings on a steep, north-facing passive solar site. The off-grid home also powers an electric vehicle using portable (not wall-mounted) charging.
Built by the owner over more than 20 years, the house makes extensive use of reused hardwood for beams, joists and rafters. Several elements, including doors, windows, the bath and basins, are second-hand. New materials include timber tongue-and-groove flooring and plywood wall linings.
The owner-built Clivus Multrum composting toilet works exceptionally well. Water supply is low pressure (around 8 metres of gravity head), with rainwater harvested from half the roof and pumped slowly up the hill. The on-site greywater system is gravity-fed and includes a small sub-surface flow wetland constructed in a concrete cattle trough.
