Olive Tree House 2025

Olive Tree House

Olive Tree House is a new urban infill project in the Newcastle beachside suburb of Stockton, subdividing one residential lot into two. As the name suggests, the house has been designed around landscape, an Olive Tree, Flowering Gum, Lilly Pilly and a Melaleuca are retained and a green roof has been added to the first floor.

This house has been designed to challenge the Australian norm of housing, it is half the size of an average Australian home, sits on a site half the size of an average site and provides flexible – rather than large spaces.

The house takes advantage of and cues from its location, situated within sight of Stockton beach and the Hunter river the house responds to the coastal location. Planned for the inevitable summer afternoons at the beach and winter afternoons on the deck the house has multiple entry points to allow for the house to open to catch the coastal breeze or the winter sun.

Orientated towards the north (street) and west (laneway) the house engages with the street, taking on a role of passive surveillance – now a thing of the past in our suburbs where privacy rules – and fosters the community already established in the suburb. The decision to orientate the house to the laneway allows for borrowed views into the laneway which make the site feel much larger than it really is.

By retaining all significant vegetation on site and using materials familiar to the typical miners cottages found throughout Newcastle the house sits comfortably in the established row of houses. It is humble in its Architecture while still providing a counter point to the project home typology so often favoured.

The planning of the house clearly responds to both its orientation and context. Focused around the Olive tree a raised deck connects the two living spaces. By pulling apart the plan winter sun filters deep into the living spaces and in the warmer months the deck connects the two internal living spaces, almost doubling the living space.

Internally the material palette shies away from the trend of all white interiors and take cues from the exterior; warm plywood linings counter cool concrete floors and offset colourful joinery and doors. The house feels like a home to live in, it has been designed for scuff marks and weathering, it is not precious. Every corner has been taken advantage of; built-in furniture allow for smaller rooms and more storage, a hallway to the guest toilet has a second function of doubling the size of the laundry.

The house is adaptable, a cupboard can be moved downstairs to provide a real third bedroom and make way for a compact study. Future bunk beds in the second bedroom will easily accommodate extended family. Hatches in the floors and walls allow the user to open and shut the house to let is breathe or receive heat as required.

It is a small house in which every metre works hard to provide quality living spaces.

Sustainability Features

Years Open
2025
ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENT FEATURES
    • Energy efficiency:
    • Draught proofing
      Efficient lighting
      Efficient appliances
    • Passive heating cooling:
    • Cross ventilation
      External planting
      Passive solar designed home
      Shading
      Thermal mass
    • Active heating cooling:
    • Ceiling fans

    • Active heating cooling:
    • Electric underfloor heating to concrete thermal floor mass
    • Water heating:
    • Hot water heat pump
    • Water harvesting and saving features:
    • Rainwater storage - Above ground
      Stormwater management
      Low flow shower heads
      Low flow taps
    • Average water consumption per day:
    • 25L
    • Above ground rainwater storage Type:
    • Watertank
    • Above ground rainwater storage Size
    • 2000L
    • Energy Efficient Lighting
    • LED lights throughout
      Natural daylight
    • Window Protection:
    • Adjustable Shading
      Automation/controls
      Awnings (external)
      Blinds
      Deciduous tree/vegetation
      Drapes/curtains
      Eaves
      External window hoods/surrounds
SUSTAINABLE & RECYCLED MATERIALS
    • Sustainable materials:
    • * SMALL HOUSE (120M2) * URBAN INFILL DEVELOPMENT (One lot subdivided and new house added without loss of original house) * ALL ROOMS HAVE DUAL ORIENTATION + CROSS VENTILATION * ALL ROOMS RECEIVE DIRECT NORTHERN LIGHT * SOLAR SYSTEM (6.6kW) * ELECTRIC HEAT PUMP HOT WATER * ELECTRIC UNDERFLOOR HEATING * DOUBLE GLAZED TIMBER WINDOWS THROUGHOUT * 2000L WATER TANK * WORM FARM * NATIVE PLANTING THROUGHOUT - including on council verge * RETENTION OF ALL EXISTING TREES ON SITE
    • Recycled and reused materials:
    • Appliances
      Decking
      Light fixtures / fittings
      Paving
      Timber
INSULATION SPECIFICATIONS
    • Insulation Type:
    • Ceiling
      External walls
      Floor
    • Ceiling Type:
    • Bulk – natural wool
    • Ceiling Rating:
    • R5.0
    • Floor Type:
    • Bulk - natural wool
    • Floor Rating:
    • R2.5
    • External Walls Rating:
    • R2.7
    • External Walls Type:
    • Bulk – natural wool
RENEWABLE ENERGY SPECIFICATIONS
    • All-Electric Home?
    • No
    • Energy star rating:
    • 5.1 (additional energy features added as part of build)
    • Renewable energy used:
    • Solar PV grid connect
    • Size of PV system:
    • 6.6kW
    • Average Daily Energy Consumption:
    • 1.3kWh (with solar credit applied)
COSTS AND COST SAVINGS
    • Total cost of home when constructed:
    • $900,000 / 2022
    • Cost estimate of sustainable home/features:
    • $900,000
    • Estimate of annual savings:
    • $2,000
HOUSE DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS
    • House Size
    • 120m2
    • BAL Rating
    • No BAL rating requirements at time of construction
    • Roof
    • Metal (Colorbond)
    • Wall Materials
    • Lightweight construction (timber frame)
      Timber
    • Window and Door Types
    • Bi Fold
      Casement
      Double glazing
      Double hung
      Louvre windows
      Low-e, films
      Pocket doors
      Sliding windows/doors
      Stacking windows/doors
      180 degree opening doors
    • Universal Design Features
    • 80cm minimum door opening width
      Contrasting colours and material for vision impaired
      Flush thresholds (no lip) to all external doors
      Hobless showers
      Kitchen bench/table for wheelchairs to access (75-85cm high)
      Lever handles for doors (no knobs)
      No Corner cupboards
      Pocket doors so that cabinet doors are out of the way
      Shower head on rail for various heights
    • Number of bedrooms
    • 3
    • Number of bathrooms
    • 1
    • Healthy Home Materials
    • Airtight house design
      Cabinet design to minimise dust collection
      Chemical free cleaning products used
      Cross flow ventilation
      Indoor plants for air filtration
      Natural light and ventilation
      Natural oil sealer/finishes
GARDEN AND WASTE REDUCTION
    • Garden / Outdoors
    • Composting
      Edible garden
      Green roof
      Local indigenous plants
      Native plants
      Water wise plants
      Worm farm
    • Waste Reduction Practices:
    • Compost all food scraps
      Make jams/conserves
      Recycle
      Swap with friends and neighbours
      Waste free/reduced construction site
HEALTHY HOME FEATURES
    • Healthy home features
    • Airtight house design
      Cabinet design to minimise dust collection
      Chemical free cleaning products used
      Cross flow ventilation
      Indoor plants for air filtration
      Natural light and ventilation
      Natural oil sealer/finishes
Location
Stockton NSW 2295
    • Housing Type:
    • Standalone House
    • Project Type:
    • New Build
    • Disaster Resilient Design
    • Flood Resilience
    • Builder
    • Smart Additions
    • Designer
    • Bastian Architecture

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