Heathmont Haven 2024

Heathmont Haven

Thanks for your interest in my home. I’ve always been interested in environmental issues, gardening & sustainability & the opportunity to build my own sustainable dream house came about, when in 2016, I began the process of subdividing my one acre block in Heathmont into three lots: one with the original family home, plus two vacant lots. This of course took much longer than I anticipated & work finally began on my new home in May 2019; it was completed in May 2020. The block is 1076m2, north-facing & backs onto Dandenong Creek reserve. I wanted to take advantage of what I hoped would be lovely views along the reserve towards Mount Dandenong, so the house is an ‘upside down’ house, with the kitchen, living area & master bedroom on the second storey. My youngest daughter and I put the concept together & an architectural draftsman friend took all of our ideas & made them into a practical & (I think) beautiful home.

The size of the block (we have a minimum 864m2 lot size in our area) & the fact that it was going to be two storey, meant that it would need to be a reasonable sized house. I tried to think about future proofing, as I’d like to live here as long as possible & also wanted the house to be flexible in terms of use. The new house was built along passive house principles & has an airtight double membrane with airtightness of 1.69 ACH & a Heat Recovery Ventilation system. I have 9.99kw of solar panels (I’m in the process of increasing that & installing a battery), a 21500L underground water tank for toilets, washing machine & garden, motorised external venetians & blinds, double-glazed uPVC windows, a wood pellet heater & the house is all electric. The garden has locally indigenous plantings, deciduous trees on the north side, chooks (the chook pen encompasses a small orchard), vegies, a variety of compost bins & a worm farm.

Sustainability Features

Years Open
2024
ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENT FEATURES
    • Energy efficiency:
    • Draught proofing
      Efficient lighting
      Efficient appliances
    • Passive heating cooling:
    • Cross ventilation
      Deciduous planting around house
      External planting
      Heat recovery ventilation system
      Passive solar designed home
      Shading
    • Active heating cooling:
    • Ceiling fans
      Heat exchange ventilation system
      Heat pump
    • Water heating:
    • Hot water heat pump
    • Water harvesting and saving features:
    • Rainwater storage - Underground
      Low flow shower heads
    • Average water consumption per day:
    • 88L
    • Underground rainwater storage type:
    • Concrete tank
    • Underground rainwater storage Size:
    • 21500L
    • Energy Efficient Lighting
    • LED lights throughout
      Natural daylight
      Skylight
    • Window Protection:
    • Adjustable Shading
      Automation/controls
      Blinds
      Deciduous tree/vegetation
      Honeycomb blinds
      Louvres
SUSTAINABLE & RECYCLED MATERIALS
    • Sustainable materials:
    • Recycled timber posts & shelves; Earthwool insulation (recycled glass); global green tag certified wall & floor tiles; pellet heater (uses pellets made from compressed waste sawdust)
    • Recycled and reused materials:
    • Bath
      Timber
INSULATION SPECIFICATIONS
    • Insulation Type:
    • Ceiling
      External walls
      Floor
    • Ceiling Type:
    • Bulk – glass wool
    • Ceiling Rating:
    • R-6
    • Floor Type:
    • Bulk - polystyrene board
    • Floor Rating:
    • R-2
    • External Walls Rating:
    • R-4
    • External Walls Type:
    • Bulk – glass wool
RENEWABLE ENERGY SPECIFICATIONS
    • All-Electric Home?
    • Yes
    • Energy star rating:
    • 7.4
    • Renewable energy used:
    • Energy storage/battery
      Solar PV grid connect
    • Size of PV system:
    • 9.99
    • Average Daily Energy Consumption:
    • Approx 3kWh in summer, 5kWh in winter (2 person household)
HOUSE DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS
    • House Size
    • 291m2
    • BAL Rating
    • BAL – 19: Increasing levels of ember attack and ignition of debris with a heat flux of up to 19kW/m2
    • Roof
    • Metal (Colorbond)
    • Wall Materials
    • Hebel blocks
      Insulated panels or blocks
      Lightweight construction (timber frame)
      Timber
    • Window and Door Types
    • Low-e, films
      Skylights
      Sliding windows/doors
      Tilt and turn
    • Universal design accessability
    • Adaptive design
      Multi-generational
      Wheelchair accessible
    • Universal Design Features
    • 80cm minimum door opening width
      Hobless showers
      Lever handles for doors (no knobs)
      Lift/elevator
      Minimum 110cm wide hallways
      Shower head on rail for various heights
    • Number of bedrooms
    • 3
    • Number of bathrooms
    • 2
GARDEN AND WASTE REDUCTION
    • Garden / Outdoors
    • Chickens
      Composting
      Frog friendly
      Local indigenous plants
      Orchard
      Organic
      Permaculture
      Native plants
      Water wise plants
      Wicking beds
      Worm farm
    • Waste Reduction Practices:
    • Compost all food scraps
      Make jams/conserves
      Pickle and preserve food
      Recycle
      Repair
      Recycle coffee grounds from nearby cafe's
      Swap with friends and neighbours
HEALTHY HOME FEATURES
    • Healthy home features
    • Airtight house design
      Automated ventilation system
      Cross flow ventilation
      Heat recovery ventilation (HRV)
      Indoor plants for air filtration
      Low VOC paints/sealer/varnish
      Natural light and ventilation
      VOC free paints/sealer/varnish
Location
Heathmont VIC 3135
    • Housing Type:
    • Standalone House
    • Project Type:
    • New Build
    • Builder
    • Mulholland Design & Construction

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