Oasis on Oakley 2024

Oasis on Oakley

We were living in a very thermally inefficient, oversized home for years, thinking it was our dream home. Then we discovered the world of sustainable homes through our own research and desire to live lighter on the planet. We started our project in 2019 when we bought the land and approached our architect, Mountford Williamson.

The orientation had to be right, with the right external shading, as did the flow and size. Our vision was to build a home that could sustain itself, without going to Passiv Haus standards and cost, that was also beautiful and fit on a small block.

We found our builder, Adelaide Green homes, and worked on a number of other sustainable features. Solar was a must, including the amount and orientation. Double glazed windows throughout, including low-E applied to west facing windows.

One very important and distinctive aspect about Oakley is that it’s designed to be as airtight as possible without going to the level of Passiv Haus. That means sealing areas well, ensuring the building wrap is sealed well and vapour permeable as well and importantly, given its airtight nature, it needed to be ventilated right. So we researched, designed the fitting and installed a HRV system. We have heat pump hot water and air conditioning that make best use of the solar, being turned on mainly during peak production.

Water retention on site was also important, so roofing angles, orientation and storage were all important. We also installed water diverters that pump not-yet-hot water into the tank (that feeds toilets and garden) to make better use of the water we have and use. We have installed a battery and our inverter and garage are ready for a future EV.

Also very importantly, we included lots of natural colours and materials that make it beautiful to look at as well as live in!

Sustainability Features

Years Open
2024
ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENT FEATURES
    • Energy efficiency:
    • Efficient lighting
      Efficient appliances
      Energy monitoring
      Smart home features
    • Passive heating cooling:
    • Cross ventilation
      Heat recovery ventilation system
      Passive solar designed home
    • Active heating cooling:
    • Ceiling fans
      Heat pump
      Split system airconditioner
    • Water heating:
    • Hot water heat pump
      Water heated by PV system
    • Water harvesting and saving features:
    • Rainwater storage - Above ground
      Hot water recirculation
      Drip irrigation
    • Average water consumption per day:
    • 0.287kL
    • Above ground rainwater storage Type:
    • Rainwater tank
    • Above ground rainwater storage Size
    • 5000L
    • Energy Efficient Lighting
    • LED lights throughout
      Natural daylight
    • Window Protection:
    • Eaves
      External window hoods/surrounds
      Honeycomb blinds
      Solar pergola
SUSTAINABLE & RECYCLED MATERIALS
    • Sustainable materials:
    • - Pump attached to rainwater tank to provide water for toilets and garden - Minimised external penetrations - no ventilation to outside from inside - Polished concrete floor as thermal mass - Vapour permeable building wrap sealed tightly - Attention paid to detail of joins etc in home to reduce gaps - 5 ACPH air tightness to retain temperatures inside - Designing location and planting deciduous vines and trees for shading - Minimising lawn to reduce water use - Use of gravel paths and driveway to retain water on site - Small block to reduce footprint - Minimising overshadowing with home designed not to be two-storey across the whole footprint
INSULATION SPECIFICATIONS
    • Insulation Type:
    • Ceiling
      Internal walls
      External walls
    • Ceiling Type:
    • Bulk – glass wool
    • Ceiling Rating:
    • R6
    • Internal Walls Insulation Type:
    • Bulk – glass wool
    • Internal Walls Insulation Rating:
    • R2.5
    • External Walls Rating:
    • R4
    • External Walls Type:
    • Bulk – glass wool
RENEWABLE ENERGY SPECIFICATIONS
    • All-Electric Home?
    • Yes
    • Renewable energy used:
    • Solar PV grid connect

    • Size of PV system:
    • 9.1kW
    • Renewable energy
    • 16.6kW battery
    • Average Daily Energy Consumption:
    • 3kWh (battery charging only - no use from grid)
COSTS AND COST SAVINGS
    • Total cost of home when constructed:
    • 1,050,000 including land completed in 2023
    • Cost estimate of sustainable home/features:
    • 650,000
    • Estimate of annual savings:
    • Approximately $2000/annum
HOUSE DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS
    • House Size
    • 201m2
    • BAL Rating
    • No BAL rating requirements at time of construction
    • Roof
    • Metal (Colorbond)

    • Roof
    • White to reflect heat
    • Wall Materials
    • Brick veneer
      Hebel blocks
      Timber
    • Window and Door Types
    • Clerestory windows
      Double glazing
      Low-e, films
      Sliding windows/doors
      Tilt and turn
    • Universal Design Features
    • 80cm minimum door opening width
      Lever handles for doors (no knobs)
      Loud doorbell/connected to flashing light
      No Corner cupboards
      Rocker style light switches
    • Number of bedrooms
    • 4
    • Number of bathrooms
    • 1
    • Healthy Home Materials
    • Airtight house design
      Cross flow ventilation
      Heat recovery ventilation (HRV)
      Indoor plants for air filtration
      Low VOC paints/sealer/varnish
      Natural light and ventilation
GARDEN AND WASTE REDUCTION
    • Garden / Outdoors
    • Drip irrigation
      Edible garden
      Permaculture
      Native plants
      Water wise plants
    • Waste Reduction Practices:
    • Recycle
      Repair
      Swap with friends and neighbours
HEALTHY HOME FEATURES
    • Healthy home features
    • Airtight house design
      Cross flow ventilation
      Heat recovery ventilation (HRV)
      Indoor plants for air filtration
      Low VOC paints/sealer/varnish
      Natural light and ventilation
Location
Forestville SA 5035
    • Housing Type:
    • Standalone House
    • Project Type:
    • New Build
    • Builder
    • Adelaide Green Homes
    • Designer
    • Mountford Williamson

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