Forbes Creek Strawbale 2025

Forbes Creek Strawbale

As a teenager I used to read Dad’s Owner Builder and Renew magazines, not really knowing why. Then in 2001 as young Uni students we were shown through a new strawbale house in Bundanoon, setting us on the path to ‘one day we would like to’… Well somehow we ended up doing it, owner designed and built solar passive strawbale. Two years living on-site to get to know the site, and local weather/climate, a year of design and planning approval and four years of weekends, nights and holidays to build it, and the next 30 years to refine it. It has cool stuff like off-grid solar/water and worm farm septic, well insulated envelope with thermal mass internal and all that fun stuff. Thanks go to so many wonderful resources we could draw upon (Sanctuary, Your Home, Viva Homes, Renew, Owner Builder Magazine, friends/family, tradies).

Our Esse stove heats our hot water in winter (so that we don’t have to use the heat-pump on our off-grid battery and also avoid the anti-frost cycle of the heat-pump). We also do most of our cooking on it during winter. Finally it does the majority of active heating of the house during winter as well, the solar passive does the majority of the heavy lifting in keeping the house pretty stable, with the wood fire lifting the last few degrees overnight and on multiple overcast days. The pattern we see is that on a sunny day the solar passive keeps the house between 21 and 26, we light the fire and it keeps it up around 22-24 while we are awake and then it burns down overnight and the house drops to around 18.

We plant native trees each year with the aim of making a woodlot for the long term and sequestering the carbon in the short term. Air quality is another concern, so we try to burn the fire as cleanly as possible.

We also have electric appliances which we use through spring-summer-autumn when day length and solar production allow. We have an electric oven and an induction cooktop. The electric part of the hot water system is a Sanden Heat Pump.

The house without the garage is 270m2.

Sustainability Features

Years Open
2025
ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENT FEATURES
    • Energy efficiency:
    • Draught proofing
      Efficient lighting
      Efficient appliances
    • Passive heating cooling:
    • Cross ventilation
      External planting
      Passive solar designed home
      Shading
      Thermal mass
    • Active heating cooling:
    • Ceiling fans

    • Active heating cooling:
    • Wood fire
    • Water heating:
    • Hot water heat pump
      Wood fire wetback
    • Water harvesting and saving features:
    • Rainwater storage - Above ground
      Worm farm septic tank system
      Low flow shower heads
      Low flow taps
    • Average water consumption per day:
    • 160L (but our kids are just reaching teenage years!)
    • Above ground rainwater storage Type:
    • Zincalume and Poly tanks
    • Above ground rainwater storage Size
    • 310,000L
    • Energy Efficient Lighting
    • LED lights throughout
      Natural daylight
    • Window Protection:
    • Deciduous tree/vegetation
      Eaves
SUSTAINABLE & RECYCLED MATERIALS
    • Sustainable materials:
    • Attempted to minimise building waste through trying to be precise with material estimation and ordering, while using off-cuts and waste within the building as far as possible. Where materials were recyclable, these were separated and disposed of at out local waste transfer station.
    • Recycled and reused materials:
    • Bathroom cabinets
      Benchtops
      Bricks
      Excavated earth
      Floorboards
      Timber
INSULATION SPECIFICATIONS
    • Insulation Type:
    • Under-roof
      Ceiling
      Internal walls
      External walls
      Floor
    • Ceiling Type:
    • Bulk – glass wool
    • Ceiling Rating:
    • 6.0
    • Floor Type:
    • Cupolex Domes plus Reflecta Insulation and slab-edge insulation
    • Floor Rating:
    • Estimated - R1.5-2.0
    • Under Roof Insulation Type:
    • Reflective foil
    • Under Roof Insulation Rating:
    • 1.8
    • Internal Walls Insulation Type:
    • Bulk – glass wool
    • Internal Walls Insulation Rating:
    • 2.5
    • External Walls Rating:
    • 5.0
    • External Walls Type:
    • Straw (stawbale walls)
RENEWABLE ENERGY SPECIFICATIONS
    • All-Electric Home?
    • Yes
    • Renewable energy used:
    • Energy storage/battery
      Solar PV off-grid
    • Size of PV system:
    • 9.3kw solar and 10kwh battery
COSTS AND COST SAVINGS
    • Total cost of home when constructed:
    • 2024
    • Cost estimate of sustainable home/features:
    • $950,000
    • Estimate of annual savings:
    • $1000
HOUSE DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS
    • House Size
    • 320m2
    • BAL Rating
    • BAL – 12.5: Ember attack with heat up to 12.5kW/m2
    • Roof
    • Metal (Colorbond)
    • Wall Materials
    • Lightweight construction (timber frame)
      Metal (Colorbond)
      Rammed earth
      Strawbale

    • Wall Materials
    • Recycled brick
    • Window and Door Types
    • Awning
      Double glazing
      Low-e, films
      Sliding windows/doors
      Tilt and turn
    • Universal Design Features
    • 80cm minimum door opening width
      Hobless showers
      Lever handles for doors (no knobs)
      Remote power open and close doors
      Shower head on rail for various heights
      Strong fittings like towel rails that can be used as hand rails
      Tapware to be easily accessed from outside the shower
    • Number of bedrooms
    • 4
    • Number of bathrooms
    • 2
    • Healthy Home Materials
    • Carpet free - tiles/concrete/timber flooring throughout
      Cross flow ventilation
      Indoor plants for air filtration
      Lime render/wash
      Natural light and ventilation
GARDEN AND WASTE REDUCTION
    • Garden / Outdoors
    • We are early on landscaping journey, with the blank slate of our new build!
    • Garden / Outdoors
    • Composting
      Edible garden
      Frog friendly
      Orchard
      Permaculture
      Native plants

    • Waste Reduction Practices:
    • Compost all food scraps
      Make jams/conserves
      Pickle and preserve food
      Recycle
      Swap with friends and neighbours
      Waste free/reduced construction site
HEALTHY HOME FEATURES
    • Healthy home features
    • Carpet free - tiles/concrete/timber flooring throughout
      Cross flow ventilation
      Indoor plants for air filtration
      Lime render/wash
      Natural light and ventilation
Location
Forbes Creek NSW 2621
    • Housing Type:
    • Standalone House
    • Project Type:
    • New Build
    • Disaster Resilient Design
    • Bushfire Resilience
    • Builder
    • Rob and Jodi de Ligt
    • Designer
    • Rob and a bit from Jodi de Ligt

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