Rohan Off Grid Strawbale Home 2024

Rohan Off Grid Strawbale Home

Our dream was to create an off-grid, eco friendly home that melded modern features with a rustic country feel and would leave a very small footprint.

Everything used in the house has a story; a large majority of the wood featured is salvaged wood we collected over years, the bathroom sink is carved from a stone from our property and the fireplace is also made from our own stone, the remaining sinks are hand beaten copper, and all metalwork and woodwork was done by my husband. We have beams collected from the old Whyalla jetty, wood panels from an old local shearing shed featured in the kitchen, and our front door is made from pallet wood.

The house itself is solar passive, runs completely on solar power, water is entirely from rainwater tanks and our septic system has a grey water diversion system that helps water the garden.
Our appliances are all electrical, no air con, a wood fire heater for winter, windows and doors are double glazed, outer walls are strawbale with render, all internal walls and roof are insulated with Earthwool, wood flooring is bamboo, and internal walls are painted with BioPaint – a natural paint. Our overall aim was to create a healthy, natural and simple home that was low-budget, had basically no running costs and would live harmoniously with the surrounding natural landscape.