Long Beach Eco Home 2023

Long Beach Eco Home

We created sustainable straw bale solar passive, high fire rated home appropriate to a coastal urban environment, using natural materials complimentary to the surrounding bushland. Our other objective was to provide education on sustainable building and opportunities for people to experience the home through short stays. The house aesthetic is a modern raw, rustic look using Australian bush colours. The house comprises two offset dwellings, a 30m2 1 bedroom studio and a 60m2 2 bedroom under a single roof, with a breezeway between and large outdoor deck, made from fire resistant recycled and local native timbers. Walls are solar passive pre-fab straw bale ‘Viva Panels’ finished with Rocote Earth Render inside and lime render outside. Double glazed Blackbutt timber doors and windows meet fire rating requirements. Engineered hardwood hickory timber flooring sourced as left-overs from a commercial job. The house runs off mains water and sewer with a 5,000-litre rain water tank for use in toilets, laundry and outdoor. Electricity is from the grid with a rooftop solar hot water system. Landscape design is native local species with a plan for future bush food plantings.

Features include: 

• Solar passive prefabricated compressed straw bale ‘Viva Panels’ finished with textural ‘Rocote Earth Render’
• Double glazed high fire rated Blackbutt timber doors and windows
• Steel frame flooring reducing cement pour for piers
• Fire resistant recycled and local native timbers use in outdoor deck
• Fire retardant panels used under floor and deck ceiling
• Repurposed engineered hardwood hickory timber internal flooring
• 5,000-litre rainwater tank for toilet, laundry and outdoor water use
• Rooftop solar hot water system.

Sustainability Features

Years Open
2020
2021
2023
ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENT FEATURES
    • Energy efficiency:
    • Efficient appliances
    • Passive heating cooling:
    • Cross ventilation
      Passive solar designed home
      Shading
    • Active heating cooling:
    • Ceiling fans
    • Water heating:
    • Solar hot water (evacuated tube)
    • Water harvesting and saving features:
    • Rainwater storage - Above ground
    • Above ground rainwater storage Type:
    • Toilets, laundry and outdoor water use from rainwater tank
    • Above ground rainwater storage Size
    • 5,000L
    • Energy Efficient Lighting
    • LED lights throughout
      Natural daylight
    • Window Protection:
    • Eaves
      Louvres
SUSTAINABLE & RECYCLED MATERIALS
    • Recycled and reused materials:
    • Decking
      Timber
INSULATION SPECIFICATIONS
    • Insulation Type:
    • Under-roof
      Ceiling
    • Ceiling Type:
    • Bulk – natural wool
    • Ceiling Rating:
    • R4.0
    • Under Roof Insulation Type:
    • Earthwool
    • Under Roof Insulation Rating:
    • R4.0
RENEWABLE ENERGY SPECIFICATIONS
    • All-Electric Home?
    • Yes
COSTS AND COST SAVINGS
    • Total cost of home when constructed:
    • $385,000 (2019)
HOUSE DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS
    • House Size
    • 130m2
    • BAL Rating
    • BAL – 29: Increasing levels of ember attack and ignition of debris with a heat flux of up to 29kW/m2
    • Roof
    • Metal (Colorbond)
    • Wall Materials
    • Lightweight construction (timber frame)
      Metal (Colorbond)
      Strawbale
      Timber
    • Window and Door Types
    • Double glazing
      Louvre windows
      Pocket doors
      Sliding windows/doors

    • Window and Door Types
    • Custom windows for solar passive design
    • Number of bedrooms
    • 3
    • Number of bathrooms
    • 2
GARDEN AND WASTE REDUCTION
    • Garden / Outdoors
    • Local indigenous plants
      Native plants
HEALTHY HOME FEATURES
    • Healthy home features
    • Carpet free - tiles/concrete/timber flooring throughout
      Chemical free cleaning products used
      Cross flow ventilation
      Lime render/wash
      Low VOC paints/sealer/varnish
      Natural light and ventilation
      Natural oil sealer/finishes
      VOC free paints/sealer/varnish
Location
Long Beach NSW 2536
    • Housing Type:
    • Standalone House
    • Project Type:
    • New Build
    • Builder
    • Viva Living Homes
    • Designer
    • Viva Living Homes

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