Nature Haven 2025

Nature Haven

This home brings together my passion for sustainable, nurturing and enriching homes. That small, natural materials, nature, art, low energy and community living considerately brought together make a radical step forward for what a home can be. I built this home as a creative project to then sell, to show what is possible.

I love natural materials in buildings, it is why I became a structural engineer and started my own structural engineering consultancy. In this home approximately 1/3 of the internal and external walls are built from light earth, which is built with a conventional timber stud frame, straw and clay mix packed between the studs, and a surface render. Lime and sand and ochre render on the external walls, clay and sand on the internal. The art piece “Evolution” is sculpted into the external wall.

There is a small footprint of 77m2, plus 22m2 loft. The house has lots of fun and functional elements to make it feel more spacious than its actual size would suggest, making an ideal home for a family with 1 or 2 children.

Large windows and bifold doors to the deck provide natural light and warmth, with thermal mass from the earth walls. The windows and deck also provide connection with the gentle woodland and creek below and the tree covered hills and the sky, whilst enjoying privacy from neighbouring homes.

The gently curved ceiling, timber cabinetry and angled nooks as well as the earth walls and connection to outside combine to bring a sense of beauty, nurture and connection. It is not unusual for guests to gape in awe at how amazing it feels to be here.

Adding to the home’s eco credentials is its location in the Tasman Ecovillage, a community based on permaculture and co-housing principles.