» Bowning Strawbale House

House Notes – Bowning Strawbale House

Our build is coming to an end and our tradies are scrambling to get the final touches finished to make it presentable for you on Sunday. Please come and see what we are trying to achieve.

This will be our forever home, we wanted to create a home for our family that will be cost effective now and in our retirement years. This 3 bedroom 2 bathroom, open plan living with double glazed thermally broken windows is north facing with concrete floors for thermal mass. We have a double sided brick fire with our solar hot water connected to give it a boost in winter if needed.

We are not off the grid yet but we hope to be in the future as our electric use should be minimal, we will monitor usage over the next 12 months.

Sustainability Features

ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENT FEATURES

- Energy efficiency:
- Draught proofing
  Efficient lighting
  Efficient appliances
- Passive heating cooling:
- Cross ventilation
  Passive solar designed home
  Thermal mass
- Active heating cooling:
- Ceiling fans
  Heat exchange ventilation system
- Water heating:
- Solar hot water (evacuated tube)
  Wood fire wetback
- Water harvesting and saving features:
- Above ground rainwater storage
  Worm farm septic tank system
- Above ground rainwater storage Type:
- Water tank
- Above ground rainwater storage Size
- 110,000L
- Storage connected to
- Garden
  Whole house
- Energy Efficient Lighting
- LED lights throughout
  Natural daylight
- Window Protection:
- Blinds
  Deciduous tree/vegetation
  Drapes/curtains
  Honeycomb blinds

SUSTAINABLE & RECYCLED MATERIALS

- Recycled and reused materials:
- Basins/sinks
  Bathroom cabinets
  Bricks
  Sleepers

INSULATION SPECIFICATIONS

- Insulation Type:
- Under-roof
  Ceiling
  Internal walls
  External walls
- Ceiling Type:
- Bulk – glass wool
- Ceiling Rating:
- R3.5
- Under Roof Insulation Type:
- Foil blanket
- Under Roof Insulation Rating:
- R2.5
- Internal Walls Insulation Type:
- Bulk – natural wool
- Internal Walls Insulation Rating:
- R2.5
- External Walls Rating:
- R8.0
- External Walls Type:
- Straw (stawbale walls)

RENEWABLE ENERGY SPECIFICATIONS

- All-Electric Home?
- Yes

COSTS AND COST SAVINGS

- Total cost of home when constructed:
- $415,000
- Cost estimate of sustainable home/features:
- Approximately the same cost
- Estimate of annual savings:
- $5000

HOUSE DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS

- House Size
- 186.28m2
- BAL Rating
- BAL – Low: There is insufficient risk to warrant specific construction requirements
- Roof
- Metal (Colorbond)
- Wall Materials
- Strawbale
- Window and Door Types
- Awning
  Double glazing
  Sliding windows/doors
- Universal design accessability
- Disability access
  Multi-generational
  Universal access
- Universal Design Features
- 80cm minimum door opening width
  100cm minimum door opening width
  Hobless showers
  Lever handles for doors (no knobs)
  Minimum 110cm wide hallways
  No stairs/steps
  Shower head on rail for various heights
  Space around toilets for ease of access in wheelchairs
  Tapware to be easily accessed from outside the shower
  Window openings easily accessible
- Number of bedrooms
- 3
- Number of bathrooms
- 2

GARDEN AND WASTE REDUCTION

- Garden / Outdoors
- Chickens
  Composting
  Edible garden
  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
- Chemical free cleaning products used
  Cross flow ventilation
  Indoor plants for air filtration
  Lime render/wash
  Natural light and ventilation
  No carpets

Bowning Strawbale House 2019

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House Notes – Bowning Strawbale House

Sustainability Features

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