Bloodwood 2019

House Notes – Bloodwood

We built Bloodwood in 2011, after a decade of renting houses in Sydney and the Southern Highlands. After living in so many houses over the years, it becomes pretty obvious how poor design, construction and orientation costs the earth (literally and figuratively). So when it came to finally buying land and having the opportunity to build a house, we tried to make it as sustainable as possible. The house was largely designed by Fiona (inspired by tiny houses!) with important ideas contributed by Roger Bloor, and built by Jason Moule, (a terrific local builder also interested in sustainable house principles). It took 6 months to get approval and only 3 months to build, with the studio/outbuilding constructed in 2014.

Our house faces true north and is wonderfully warm in winter as the sun comes through the glass doors and east facing windows, We are not connected to mains water and have a water tank with 75,000L capacity with 25,000L reserved for fire fighting. In the last 4 years, we’ve had less rain and have had to buy water occasionally, and increase our roof catchment by also catching water from the watertank itself (a nifty design) Blood wood is colorbond with a wooden frame and super insulated, with construction options limited by compliance with severe fire threat ratings. We have a veggie garden that is made with recycled IBCS and using a wicking system to save every drop of water we can.

Sustainability Features

Years Open
2019
ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENT FEATURES
    • Energy efficiency:
    • Efficient lighting
      Efficient appliances
    • Passive heating cooling:
    • Passive solar designed home
    • Active heating cooling:
    • Ceiling fans
      Split system airconditioner

    • Active heating cooling:
    • Slow combustion wood fire
    • Water heating:
    • Solar hot water (evacuated tube)
    • Water harvesting and saving features:
    • Above ground rainwater storage

    • Above ground rainwater storage Type:
    • steel tank
    • Above ground rainwater storage Size
    • 75,000L
    • Storage connected to
    • Garden
      Toilet
      Laundry
      Whole house
    • Energy Efficient Lighting
    • LED lights throughout
      Natural daylight
    • Window Protection:
    • Awnings (external)
      Blinds
      Drapes/curtains
      Pelmets
      Shade Sails
SUSTAINABLE & RECYCLED MATERIALS
    • Recycled and reused materials:
    • Appliances
      Basins/sinks
      Bathroom cabinets
      Doors
      Kitchen cabinets
INSULATION SPECIFICATIONS
    • Insulation Type:
    • Under-roof
      Ceiling
      Internal walls
      External walls
      Floor
    • Ceiling Type:
    • Bulk – glass wool
    • Floor Type:
    • Reflective foil
    • Under Roof Insulation Type:
    • Reflective foil
    • Internal Walls Insulation Type:
    • Bulk – glass wool
    • External Walls Type:
    • Bulk – glass wool
RENEWABLE ENERGY SPECIFICATIONS
    • All-Electric Home?
    • Yes
    • Renewable energy used:
    • Solar PV grid connect
    • Size of PV system:
    • 5kW
    • Average Daily Energy Consumption:
    • 4.5kW
COSTS AND COST SAVINGS
    • Total cost of home when constructed:
    • $180,000
    • Estimate of annual savings:
    • $2000+ (electricity and water)
HOUSE DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS
    • House Size
    • 128m2
    • BAL Rating
    • BAL – FZ: Direct exposure to flames from fire front in addition to heat flux of greater than 40kW/m2 and ember attack
    • Roof
    • Metal (Colorbond)
    • Wall Materials
    • Lightweight construction (timber frame)
    • Window and Door Types
    • Sliding windows/doors
    • Universal design accessability
    • Adaptive design
    • Universal Design Features
    • 80cm minimum door opening width
    • Number of bedrooms
    • 3
    • Number of bathrooms
    • 2
GARDEN AND WASTE REDUCTION
    • Garden / Outdoors
    • Bee hotels/friendly
      Composting
      Edible garden
      Native plants
      Water wise plants
    • Waste Reduction Practices:
    • Compost all food scraps
      Recycle
HEALTHY HOME FEATURES
    • Healthy home features
    • Cross flow ventilation
      Indoor plants for air filtration
      Natural light and ventilation
Location
Willow Vale NSW 2575
    • Housing Type:
    • Standalone House
    • Project Type:
    • New Build
    • Builder
    • Jason Moule
    • Designer
    • Owner Designed

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