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The Bales 2019

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The Bales

The Bales

We owner built and designed this house 5 years ago, to move to an off grid lifestyle, in a healthy and liveable house. We lived on a neighbouring property for 17 years and had an understanding of the local environment and designed accordingly. We wanted a simple pallet of materials, which could be used in their rawest form without extra layers, or waste, last a life time and balance the embodied energy of the home. The house is a Strawbale post and beam construction on a concrete slab; with a worm farm for waste treatment; rain tanks for water storage; and a 3 kilowatt solar system with battery storage which a generator to support the longevity of the system. We did install underfloor heating but have never needed to it switch on, and use an instantaneous water heating system and gas for cooking.

We have planted a small orchard, vegetable gardens and practice Bush regeneration to improve the natural environment around us. This is the most liveable house we have every dwelled in, even all year round internal temperatures, easy to clean, maintain and suits us as a family.

Sustainability Features

Years Open
2019
ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENT FEATURES
    • Energy efficiency:
    • Efficient lighting
      Efficient appliances
      Energy monitoring
    • Passive heating cooling:
    • Cross ventilation
      Passive solar designed home
    • Active heating cooling:
    • Split system airconditioner
    • Water harvesting and saving features:
    • Above ground rainwater storage
      Worm farm septic tank system
      Stormwater management
      Low flow shower heads
      Low flow taps
      Hot water recirculation

    • Average water consumption per day:
    • Unknown (very low!)
    • Above ground rainwater storage Type:
    • Water tanks (plastic and concrete)
    • Above ground rainwater storage Size
    • 60000 litres
    • Storage connected to
    • Whole house
    • Water harvesting and saving
    • Wicking vegetable garden beds
    • Energy Efficient Lighting
    • LED lights throughout
      Natural daylight
      Skylight
    • Window Protection:
    • Awnings (external)
      Blinds
      Drapes/curtains
SUSTAINABLE & RECYCLED MATERIALS
    • Recycled and reused materials:
    • Appliances
      Basins/sinks
      Paving
      Timber
INSULATION SPECIFICATIONS
    • Insulation Type:
    • Under-roof
      Ceiling
      Internal walls
      External walls
      Floor
    • Ceiling Type:
    • Bulk – glass wool
    • Ceiling Rating:
    • R2.0
    • Floor Type:
    • Wafflepod
    • Floor Rating:
    • R2.0
    • Under Roof Insulation Rating:
    • R3.0
    • Internal Walls Insulation Type:
    • Bulk – glass wool
    • Internal Walls Insulation Rating:
    • R2.0
    • External Walls Rating:
    • R15+
    • External Walls Type:
    • Straw (stawbale walls)
RENEWABLE ENERGY SPECIFICATIONS
    • All-Electric Home?
    • No
    • Energy star rating:
    • 8
    • Renewable energy used:
    • Solar PV off-grid
    • Size of PV system:
    • 3kW
COSTS AND COST SAVINGS
    • Total cost of home when constructed:
    • $330,000
    • Cost estimate of sustainable home/features:
    • $60,000
    • Estimate of annual savings:
    • $5000
HOUSE DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS
    • House Size
    • 210m2
    • BAL Rating
    • BAL – Low: There is insufficient risk to warrant specific construction requirements
    • Roof
    • Metal (Colorbond)
    • Wall Materials
    • Lightweight construction (timber frame)
      Strawbale
    • Window and Door Types
    • Louvre windows
      Low-e, films
      Skylights
      Stacking windows/doors
    • Universal design accessability
    • Adaptive design
      Multi-generational
      Universal access
    • Universal Design Features
    • 80cm minimum door opening width
      Hobless showers
      Lever handles for doors (no knobs)
      Minimum 110cm wide hallways
      No stairs/steps
      No Corner cupboards
      Shower head on rail for various heights
      Slip resistant flooring
      Space around toilets for ease of access in wheelchairs
      Tapware to be easily accessed from outside the shower
    • Number of bedrooms
    • 3
    • Number of bathrooms
    • 2
GARDEN AND WASTE REDUCTION
    • Garden / Outdoors
    • Bee hotels/friendly
      Edible garden
      Organic
      Permaculture
      Native plants
      Water wise plants
    • Waste Reduction Practices:
    • Compost all food scraps
      Recycle
      Repair
      Swap with friends and neighbours
HEALTHY HOME FEATURES
    • Healthy home features
    • Cabinet design to minimise dust collection
      Chemical free cleaning products used
      Cross flow ventilation
      Indoor plants for air filtration
      Lime render/wash
      Low VOC paints/sealer/varnish
      Natural light and ventilation
      Natural oil sealer/finishes
      No carpets
Location
Tinonee NSW 2430
    • Housing Type:
    • Standalone House
    • Project Type:
    • New Build
    • Builder
    • Worth Building - Matt Worth
    • Designer
    • Owner Builder and Designer

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