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Arles

We built this home seven years ago with the goal of living more lightly on the land. We are a retired couple originally from Canberra where we raised our five kids in a solar passive house we built in 1994, with many low energy features. In this much smaller house on a much larger block, we are trying to live a more sustainable lifestyle. So this solar passive house has tiled floors, PV panels and solar hot water, rainwater harvesting, on-site treatment of all wastewater, slow combustion heating and excellent cross-ventilation design. It sits on two acres of fertile land that we are developing using permaculture principles such as organic pest control, recycling, water harvesting and management, a food forest and vegetable patch, newly created creeks and rainforest, and the regeneration of an existing stand of eucalyptus to create bird and wildlife habitat.

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Midcoast Branch

Sustainability Features

ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENT FEATURES

- Energy efficiency:
- Draught proofing
  Efficient lighting
  Efficient appliances
- Passive heating cooling:
- Cross ventilation
  Passive solar designed home
  Shading
  Thermal mass
- Passive heating cooling:
- Tiled floors act as thermal buffers – storing solar and fireplace heat in winter and storing coolth in summer.
- Active heating cooling:
- Ceiling fans
  Split system airconditioner
- Active heating cooling:
- Slow combustion radiant heat woodfire uses wood sourced from own and neighbouring properties
- Water heating:
- Solar hot water (evacuated tube)
- Water harvesting and saving features:
- Above ground rainwater storage
  Blackwater system
  Stormwater management
  Low flow shower heads
  Drip irrigation
- Above ground rainwater storage Type:
- Steel tanks x 3
- Above ground rainwater storage Size
- 25,000L
- Storage connected to
- Garden
  Toilet
  Laundry
- Water harvesting and saving
- Agricultural dam on property 25m diameter. Rainwater runoff is directed into this dam via underground ag pipes. We have created two new creeks above and below the dam to control the water flow off the property, and to provide riparian habitat for plants and animals. Constructed swales and berms on contour lines of entire property to harvest rainfall. Garden areas are heavily mulched. Any supplementary watering required is usually achieved with stored rainwater.
- Energy Efficient Lighting
- LED lights throughout
  Natural daylight
  Skylight
- Window Protection:
- Awnings (external)
  Blinds
  Deciduous tree/vegetation
  Drapes/curtains
  Pelmets
  Solar pergola
- Window Protection:
- Reflective coating to west-facing door and east-facing clerestory window

SUSTAINABLE & RECYCLED MATERIALS

- Sustainable materials:
- Recycled sleepers form the study desktops. Recycled materials outdoors for construction of propagating area, vegetable beds, compost bins, chook house. Solar pump usually circulates water between new creek and existing dam, but is off at the moment because of the drought. Local rock collected and hand-laid for hard landscaping.
- Recycled and reused materials:
- Aggregate
  Appliances
  Insulation
  Pallets
  Rocks/stone
  Sleepers

INSULATION SPECIFICATIONS

- Insulation Type:
- Ceiling
  Internal walls
- Ceiling Type:
- Recycled glass wool
- Ceiling Rating:
- R3.5
- Internal Walls Insulation Type:
- Recycled glass wool
- Internal Walls Insulation Rating:
- R2.5

RENEWABLE ENERGY SPECIFICATIONS

- All-Electric Home?
- No
- Renewable energy used:
- Solar PV grid connect
- Size of PV system:
- 5kW

COSTS AND COST SAVINGS

- Total cost of home when constructed:
- $500,000
- Cost estimate of sustainable home/features:
- $10,000 – $20,000
- Estimate of annual savings:
- $2000 – $3000

HOUSE DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS

- House Size
- 177m2
- BAL Rating
- BAL – 12.5: Ember attack with heat up to 12.5kW/m2
- Roof
- Metal (Colorbond)
- Wall Materials
- Lightweight construction (timber frame)
- Window and Door Types
- Awning
  Clerestory windows
  Louvre windows
  Low-e, films
  Sliding windows/doors
  Pocket doors
  Skylights
- Universal Design Features
- 80cm minimum door opening width
  Hobless showers
  Lever handles for doors (no knobs)
  Minimum 110cm wide hallways
  Shower head on rail for various heights
  Tapware to be easily accessed from outside the shower
  Window openings easily accessible
- Number of bedrooms
- 4
- Number of bathrooms
- 3

GARDEN AND WASTE REDUCTION

- Garden / Outdoors
- We propagate most of our plantings on site from cuttings or seeds. All plant material grown on site is used on site – for food (human and animal), fuel, compost, mulch, worm farm, even artworks. We have created a native plant regeneration area where we are just watching and weeding. Native plants, birds, frogs and animals are slowly returning.
- Garden / Outdoors
- Bee keeping
  Bee hotels/friendly
  Composting
  Drip irrigation
  Edible garden
  Organic
  Permaculture
  Native plants
  Water wise plants
- Waste Reduction Practices:
- Compost all food scraps
  Recycle
  Repair
  Swap with friends and neighbours

HEALTHY HOME FEATURES

- Healthy home features
- Asthma and allergy free certified carpet
  Cabinet design to minimise dust collection
  Chemical free cleaning products used
  Cross flow ventilation
  Heat recovery ventilation (HRV)
  Indoor plants for air filtration
  Natural light and ventilation

Arles 2019

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Arles

Sustainability Features

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