Bren and Steph’s californian retrofit 2025

Bren and Steph’s californian retrofit

Steph and I both care deeply about our social and ecological footprints, and try to make sure sustainability is a core tenet in all our decision making. Renting for many years, living in terribly unsustainable and energy inefficient houses, our desire was to ensure our first home was as sustainable as we could make it. Our first goal was to select the right home to retrofit. For us, this meant a large north-facing backyard, low risk to flood and fire, and a high degree of adaptation potential. Step one was electrification which saw removal of ducted gas heating, gas HW, then gas cooking. Draught-proofing has been ongoing and includes plastic film, DIY secondary glazing, leveraging the VEU program, caulking, and re-purposing insulation. A small reverse cycle system was installed alongside a door in the main living area. Rainwater tanks were added for the garden and both the shower and laundry pipes were also re-routed for this purpose. Insulation was added to the exterior walls and underfloor (very gradually). Shade plants, trees, and edible plants have been added more and more, including grape vines to the rear deck, and a lean-to greenhouse so we can grow as much as we can ourselves.
Half of the front lawn was replaced with native plants and grasses, and we are working to do the same to the nature strip. Honeycomb blinds were added to key north facing windows, a mix of new and second-hand. All materials are sourced second-hand wherever possible. We are very thankful to our local tip shop close by.
Biggest purchase was a second-hand EV to replace an irreparable primary vehicle. A Nissan Leaf was chosen for its bi-directional charging potential. Most recently we have signed up to a Virtual Energy Network to provide more return for our solar export.

Sustainability Features

Years Open
2025
ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENT FEATURES
    • Energy efficiency:
    • Draught proofing
      Efficient lighting
      Efficient appliances
      Energy monitoring
      Smart home features

    • Energy efficiency:
    • Behavior change
    • Passive heating cooling:
    • Cross ventilation
      Deciduous planting around house
      External planting
      Shading
    • Active heating cooling:
    • Ceiling fans
      Heat pump
      Split system airconditioner
    • Water heating:
    • Hot water heat pump
    • Water harvesting and saving features:
    • Rainwater storage - Above ground
      Grey water system
      Low flow shower heads
      Drip irrigation
    • Above ground rainwater storage Type:
    • Repurposed IBC tanks and second-hand circular tank
    • Above ground rainwater storage Size
    • 7,000
    • Energy Efficient Lighting
    • LED lights throughout
      Natural daylight
    • Electric Vehicle
    • Nissan Leaf 2018
    • Window Protection:
    • Awnings (external)
      Blinds
      Deciduous tree/vegetation
      Drapes/curtains
      Honeycomb blinds
      Roller doors
      Shade Sails
SUSTAINABLE & RECYCLED MATERIALS
    • Recycled and reused materials:
    • Honeycomb blinds, housing stumps, compost, shelving, rainwater tanks, trellises, insulation
    • Recycled and reused materials:
    • Appliances
      Benchtops
      Doors
      Insulation
      Metal sheeting
      Pallets
      Rocks/stone
      Tapware
      Tiles
      Timber
      Wine barrels/crates

INSULATION SPECIFICATIONS
    • Insulation Type:
    • Ceiling
      External walls
      Floor
    • Ceiling Type:
    • Bulk – glass wool
    • Ceiling Rating:
    • (unknown existing)
    • Floor Type:
    • Bulk - polyester
    • Floor Rating:
    • 2
    • External Walls Rating:
    • 2.3
    • External Walls Type:
    • Bulk – polyester
RENEWABLE ENERGY SPECIFICATIONS
    • All-Electric Home?
    • Yes
    • Renewable energy used:
    • Solar PV grid connect
    • Size of PV system:
    • 5
HOUSE DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS
    • House Size
    • 111
    • BAL Rating
    • No BAL rating requirements at time of construction
    • Roof
    • Tiles (Clay)
    • Wall Materials
    • Timber
    • Window and Door Types
    • Low-e, films
      Retrofit Double Glazing
      Sliding windows/doors

    • Window and Door Types
    • Single hung
    • Universal design accessability
    • Adaptive design
    • Number of bedrooms
    • 3
    • Number of bathrooms
    • 1
    • Healthy Home Materials
    • Chemical free cleaning products used
      Cross flow ventilation
      Indoor plants for air filtration
      Natural light and ventilation
      Natural oil sealer/finishes
GARDEN AND WASTE REDUCTION
    • Garden / Outdoors
    • Bat nesting box
    • Garden / Outdoors
    • Aquaponics
      Bee hotels/friendly
      Composting
      Drip irrigation
      Edible garden
      Greenhouse
      Local indigenous plants
      Orchard
      Organic
      Permaculture
      Native plants
      Swales
      Water wise plants
      Wicking beds
      Worm farm

    • Waste Reduction Practices:
    • Book exchange/library
      Compost all food scraps
      Make jams/conserves
      Pickle and preserve food
      Recycle
      Repair
      Recycle coffee grounds from nearby cafe's
      Take own containers to the supermarket and for take away food
      Swap with friends and neighbours
HEALTHY HOME FEATURES
    • Healthy home features
    • Chemical free cleaning products used
      Cross flow ventilation
      Indoor plants for air filtration
      Natural light and ventilation
      Natural oil sealer/finishes
Location
California Gully VIC 3556
    • Housing Type:
    • Standalone House
    • Project Type:
    • Retrofit/addition
    • Disaster Resilient Design
    • Flood Resilience

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