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Steels Creek Underground House 2018

Steels Creek Underground House

Steels Creek Underground House

This house was designed after a previous home was destroyed by fire in 2009. It was built to be energy efficient and easy to maintain, using the principles developed for Earthships.

The internal temperatures range from 19 degrees at the lowest to peaks of 25 degrees during prolonged heatwaves, with an average of 22–23 degrees most of the time. Fire safety was also a major design concern.

The house has solar/wet back water heating with hydronic radiators for cold winter nights and solar grid-connected power that produces well over our energy needs. Water is collected from the farm buildings above the house to allow for gravity feed. Reed beds deal with waste. Solar tubes , LED lights and a front wall of insulated glass provide plenty of light. Clay pavers keep the floors cool in summer and store solar heat in winter, but the main temperature control is through thermal mass. Lime render lets the walls deal with moisture.

Recycled materials are used for doors and other features, and a solar buffer zone grows ginger, turmeric and other plants that help control air pollutants.

The ruins of the old house have been recycled as a BBQ and classroom area enclosed by an edible garden, whilst the new house is situated in a fire reserve by a large dam.

Flash-flood water is led away by a dry creek moat that drains into the dam, and the floors at the back of the house contain drain outlets. External noise is mostly eliminated by the design and, with most of the house underground, there is good wind protection. All windows are easy to reach for cleaning and one can walk up the roof to service the chimneys. Sheep graze on the roof and around the building to keep the vegetation short for fire safety.

Designed by Alvyn Williams, Soft Loud House Architects.

Photography by Ben Wrigley.

Read more about this home in:

Watch Ed and Amanda talk about their home here:

Please Note: Enter Hargreaves Road from Steels Creek Road; no entry from Melba Highway, as shown on some maps.

Go to Steels Creek Road BEFORE setting the address on satnav devices.

To find out more about the NatHERS (Nationwide House Energy Rating Scheme) click here.

Sustainability Features

Years Open
2017
2018
ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENT FEATURES
    • Energy efficiency:
    • Draught proofing
      Efficient lighting
      Efficient appliances

    • Energy efficiency:
    • Building is designed for 100+ year life cycle, embodied energy is calculated to average out to a minimum value due to longevity of building
    • Passive heating cooling:
    • Shading

    • Passive heating cooling:
    • Solar buffer zone solar heating combined with earth-linked ventilation system
    • Active heating cooling:
    • Hydronic

    • Active heating cooling:
    • Solar room heating combined with earth-linked ventilation (Roman) system
    • Water heating:
    • Solar hot water (flat panel)
      Wood fire wetback
    • Water harvesting and saving features:
    • Above-ground rainwater storage
      Stormwater management
      Low-flow shower heads

    • Above ground rainwater storage Type:
    • Concrete tanks + gal head tanks
    • Above ground rainwater storage Size
    • 200,000L
    • Water harvesting and saving
    • 5ML dam storage for stock and veg/garden irrigation
SUSTAINABLE & RECYCLED MATERIALS
    • Sustainable materials:
    • Wood cabinets and doors from recycled timber
    • Recycled and reused materials:
    • Aggregate
      Bricks
      Timber
INSULATION SPECIFICATIONS
    • Insulation Type:
    • Ceiling

    • Ceiling Type:
    • Earthwool
    • Ceiling Rating:
    • R4.0 plus tapering effect of thermal mass from soil cover on top and sides of building
    • Other Insulation Methods:
    • 1.5m thermal flywheel at rear of house
    • Internal / External Walls Type:
    • Soil + eps insulatory barrier to lock 1.5 m of soil into back wall of building to fix thermal sink into building
    • Internal / External Walls Rating:
    • N/A
RENEWABLE ENERGY SPECIFICATIONS
    • All-Electric Home?
    • No
    • Energy star rating:
    • Initially 3 Stars; had to add undesigned extra changes to achieve 6 Stars involving unnecessary insulation. Home is at least 10 Star as rating standards do not count insulation value of earth.
    • Renewable energy used:
    • Solar PV grid-connected

    • Renewable energy
    • Thermal mass energy storage collected by solar buffer zone and reflected into main house in winter. This is trapped by double-glazed doors in the evening.
COSTS AND COST SAVINGS
    • Cost estimate of sustainable home/features:
    • $66,000
    • Estimate of annual savings:
    • No energy Bills +$2000 p.a. return from power company
HOUSE DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS
    • House Size
    • 200m2 approx.
    • BAL Rating
    • BAL – 19: Increasing levels of ember attack and ignition of debris with a heat flux of up to 19kW/m2
    • Window and Door Types
    • Double glazing
      Louvre windows
    • Number of bedrooms
    • 3
    • Number of bathrooms
    • 1
GARDEN AND WASTE REDUCTION
    • Garden / Outdoors
    • Rock mulch around house for fire safety. Stock vegetation management. Food-producing trees for shelter belts.
    • Garden / Outdoors
    • Bee keeping
      Chickens
      Composting
      Edible garden
      Organic
      Permaculture
      Native plants
      Water-wise plants

Location
Steels Creek VIC 3775
    • Housing Type:
    • Standalone House
    • Project Type:
    • New Build
    • Open with support of
    • Permaculture Yarra Valley
    • Builder
    • Owner
    • Designer
    • Soft Loud house Architects

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