Sustainable House Holland Park 2023

Sustainable House Holland Park

The renovation of Gill St Holland Park began the day we took ownership of the home back in 1998. The red asbestos roof, daggy décor, and lack of garage and perimeter garden meant that the house was on the market for some time, which enabled us to purchase at a discount.

The transformation was broken up into six main chunks to spread out the expense

Pulling up old carpets, removing ugly wallpaper, and painting the interior a light colour brightened the house significantly; so less artificial lighting was needed. Also as the original owner-builder intuitively included passive solar design concepts, which we continue to benefit from 60 years later.

We opened up the northeast covered patio adjacent to the lounge and kitchen to improve cross-ventilation and cooling, and replace the kitchen, bathroom and toilet for a modern look that incorporated water-efficiency where possible.

A new off-white Colorbond roof allowed us to harvest rainwater into 5000L modular water tanks. We installed white plantation shutter in most rooms, which keep the heat out during summer. During winter we open the shutters to warm the house. The roof cavity is well insulated and thermo-activated ceiling vents cool the house in summer.

The two old electric hot water systems were replaced with a rooftop evacuated-tube solar heating system with 315L water tank. And we installed a rooftop, grid-connected 3kW solar power system, which is connected to the grid. Lights are either energy-efficient LED down lights or CFLs, with outdoor solar lighting.

During 2014 we replaced old appliances (washing machine, dishwasher and refrigerator) with the most water and energy efficient appliances available.

During 2015-16 we’ve created an edible garden that provides tomatoes, salad greens, herbs and eggplant. Another worm café was purchased to reuse the additional fruit and vegetable peelings that resulted from adopting a healthier, homegrown diet. Next year we’ll build a front deck overlooking the park, to harness the easterly breezes.

The decision to ‘stay put’ enabled us to invest in much needed home maintenance during 2020. A new coat of paint revitalised the outside appearance and protects timber windows, doors and posts. All window and door hardware was replaced to improve functionality. Roof extractor fans were replaced and roof-top solar hot water system and solar panels were checked and cleaned by experts to ensure maximum output.

The thermal comfort of the house, energy efficiency and low running costs we’ve achieved influenced our decision to remain at Gill St, Holland Park.