Thinking Paddock House 2023

Thinking Paddock House

For 35 years, a family lived in a house they bought when they rushed to move to Tassie. In 2016 the empty nesters decided to move to a property where they could spend their remaining years looking across Ralphs Bay as the view of Mt Wellington | Kunanyi changed before their eyes.

One of the clients grew up down the road where the landscape and regional style of buildings have emotional importance. The other client wanted the home to be as efficient as possible without compromising thermal performance, especially in winter. The client’s wishes challenged the architect to design Thinking Paddock House to be a high performing building, unique to the client while also fitting in with the surrounding landscape.

With the classic colder months in Tassie combined with strong South-Westerly winds, the house maintains a cozy temperature inside by utilising a robust building envelope. The framing in the external walls is 140mm timber studs with double the thickness of standard insulation and timber framed double glazed windows. The roof insulation is also thicker than standard with 290mm high-performance roof batts.

Before they commit to going off-grid, the owners are living in the house for 18 months. With an 8kw solar power system on the roof powering their hydronic heating system, and passive cross flow ventilation in summer, the house maintains a comfortable temperature year-round. They also have onsite septic and only use rainwater harvested off the roof.

The house uses materials that reference items the clients found during an initial design meeting on the block. These include dried grass, bark, eucalyptus, cast iron, and mudstone. Internally, salvaged timber from a family barn, recycled timber floorboards, and bagged brick allow the farmhouse aesthetic to flow from outside to inside.

Sustainability Features

Years Open
2020
2021
2023
ENERGY AND WATER EFFICIENT FEATURES
    • Energy efficiency:
    • Draught proofing
      Efficient lighting
      Efficient appliances
    • Passive heating cooling:
    • Cross ventilation
      Passive solar designed home
      Thermal mass
    • Active heating cooling:
    • Hydronic
    • Water heating:
    • Hot water heat pump
    • Water harvesting and saving features:
    • Rainwater storage - Above ground
      Blackwater system
      Stormwater management
      Low flow shower heads
      Low flow taps
    • Average water consumption per day:
    • 600L
    • Above ground rainwater storage Type:
    • Stainless Steel Water Tanks
    • Above ground rainwater storage Size
    • 40,000L
    • Energy Efficient Lighting
    • LED lights throughout
      Natural daylight
    • Window Protection:
    • Drapes/curtains
      Pelmets
SUSTAINABLE & RECYCLED MATERIALS
    • Sustainable materials:
    • Materials - Driveway base uses recycled concrete aggregate. - Wool carpets in bedrooms with underlays made of 90% recycled content. - Reclaimed timber floors - LED lighting used throughout - Low flow water saving tapware used throughout - Water-based paints used throughout. - Stainless steel fittings throughout Passive design - Solar passive design - Crossflow passive ventilation - Large windows in all rooms (except a toilet and pantry) to reduce reliance on artificial lighting Active systems - 8kw solar array - Hydronic heating system - Wet rainwater collection system with 2x 20,000L stainless steel tanks - 3x physical water filter system (plus UV) with two passive filters before the water enters the tanks
    • Recycled and reused materials:
    • Aggregate
      Appliances
      Bricks
      Floorboards
INSULATION SPECIFICATIONS
    • Insulation Type:
    • Under-roof
      Ceiling
      Internal walls
      External walls
      Floor
    • Ceiling Type:
    • Bulk – glass wool
    • Ceiling Rating:
    • R7.0
    • Floor Type:
    • Reflective foil
    • Floor Rating:
    • R1.5
    • Under Roof Insulation Type:
    • Reflective foil
    • Under Roof Insulation Rating:
    • R1.0
    • Internal Walls Insulation Type:
    • Bulk – glass wool
    • Internal Walls Insulation Rating:
    • R2.5
    • External Walls Rating:
    • R4.5
    • External Walls Type:
    • Bulk – glass wool
RENEWABLE ENERGY SPECIFICATIONS
    • All-Electric Home?
    • Yes
    • Renewable energy used:
    • Solar PV grid connect
    • Size of PV system:
    • 8kW
    • Average Daily Energy Consumption:
    • 15kwh
COSTS AND COST SAVINGS
    • Total cost of home when constructed:
    • $1,350,000
    • Cost estimate of sustainable home/features:
    • $150,000
    • Estimate of annual savings:
    • $5,000
HOUSE DESIGN SPECIFICATIONS
    • House Size
    • 250m2
    • BAL Rating
    • BAL – 19: Increasing levels of ember attack and ignition of debris with a heat flux of up to 19kW/m2
    • Roof
    • Metal (Colorbond)
    • Wall Materials
    • Brick veneer
      Lightweight construction (timber frame)
      Reverse Brick veneer
      Timber
    • Window and Door Types
    • Awning
      Casement
      Double glazing
      Low-e, films
      Sliding windows/doors
      Tilt and turn
    • Universal design accessability
    • Adaptive design
      Multi-generational
      Wheelchair accessible
    • Universal Design Features
    • 80cm minimum door opening width
      Flush thresholds (no lip) to all external doors
      Hobless showers
      Lever handles for doors (no knobs)
      Minimum 110cm wide hallways
      No stairs/steps
      Slip resistant flooring
      Strong fittings like towel rails that can be used as hand rails
      Washing machine/dryer on plynth for easy access
    • Number of bedrooms
    • 2
    • Number of bathrooms
    • 3
GARDEN AND WASTE REDUCTION
    • Garden / Outdoors
    • Frog friendly
      Native plants
    • Waste Reduction Practices:
    • Recycle
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
      Low VOC paints/sealer/varnish
      Natural fibre furnishings
      Natural light and ventilation
Location
Sandford TAS 7020
    • Housing Type:
    • Standalone House
    • Project Type:
    • New Build
    • Builder
    • Building Edge
    • Designer
    • Open Creative Studio

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