New 8.1-Star Home in Historic Heritage Precinct. 2025

New 8.1-Star Home in Historic Heritage Precinct.

In the heart of Semaphore, SA, stands a house that defies expectations. This 8.1-Star rated home is a harmonious blend of design, sustainability, and urban ingenuity, beckoning us to explore its hidden wonders. Behind its seemingly heritage façade stands a state-of-the-art, two-storey house with all the comforts of modern living, packed with cutting-edge design and sustainability features.

The Brief: Create an easy-to-live, compact home for a retired couple with the option to accommodate occasional visitors. Designed with long-term comfort in mind, without compromising thermal performance and climate resilience.

The Hampton-style ground level boasts a high cathedral ceiling that extends through the open-plan living area. The space is flooded with natural light from two sets of generous double-glazed uPVC French doors that open to the northern courtyard. The covered outdoor entertaining area is located next to the kitchen, with a wide sliding servery window allowing dishes to be conveniently dispensed from the kitchen to guests outside.

The main bedroom is located on the ground floor with an ensuite and built-in wardrobe, designed with accessibility in mind for aging in place. Ascend the timber staircase from the hallway to access the two additional bedrooms upstairs, which are located directly above the main bedroom and study in the front part of the house. A built-in lift shaft was incorporated into the design for future installation and access to the upper level.

The upstairs bedrooms and bathroom feature raking ceilings with skylights for natural lighting and stargazing into the night sky. The west-facing windows are protected by external plantation shutter-style louvres, fully openable in winter.

The house is fitted with an HRV system, ensuring a consistent supply of clean, fresh outdoor air while expelling stale indoor air. A 12.5kW solar panel array creates free hot water even in the middle of winter while still exporting energy to the grid; essentially, the home generates more energy than it consumes, making it carbon positive. Combined with quality LED lighting and the latest in energy-efficient appliances, the overall energy consumption of the home is significantly reduced, with a substantial amount of energy being exported to the grid.

The final result is a very comfortable, highly energy-efficient home filled with natural light. It is warm during the winter months and cool in the summer, with practical and functional spaces perfectly suited to our client’s lifestyle.