Tropical House
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Tropical House
We have lived in Tropical House for 9 years and it has lived up to the expectations that went into the planning – to build an affordable, environmentally friendly house. The house was designed, by the owner, to be as cool and comfortable as possible in our hot, humid summers. We use tank water, generate electricity and have all the appropriate lighting, fans, insulation etc. We do have air-conditioning in the bedrooms and office – little used. Special features are the cross ventilation in the roof cavity and the wider than usual eaves.
The house sits on a small area at the end of a long drive. When subsiding we kept the driveway as wide as possible so that we could have as much vegetation as possible. The garden around the house is small but we can look out into it all the time while inside we enjoy seeing the birds, butterflies and insects that are attracted to the variety of native plant species. There is no grass and no watering systems – the plants, once established, can all manage the wet/dry seasons. Overflow storm water is managed in between the driveway tracks.
Inside, the house is open plan, with minimum hall space, and lots of louvre windows allowing for maximum ventilation. There are timber floors (local mixed hardwood FST stamped) throughout, even in the bathrooms. Tank water is to the whole house and bore water is used outside.
Read the article about this house on Mackay Daily Mercury
Architect of this house is Philip Lane
Built by Murray Jones
Sustainability Features
- Energy efficiency:
- Efficient lighting
Efficient appliances
Energy monitoring
- Energy efficiency:
- Readily accessible switches to disconnect power to power points of all domestic appliances with energy consuming standby functions
- Passive heating cooling:
- Cross ventilation
- Passive heating cooling:
- With a focus on cooling, 900mm eaves plus 150mm gutters on northern and southern sides. Louvre windows to every room and open plan house design to promote cross ventialtion.
- Active heating cooling:
- Ceiling fans
- Active heating cooling:
- Airconditoners in bedrooms and room used as office - rarely used.
- Water heating:
- Gas: 2 instantaneous water heater, located adjacent to bathrooms for minimal wastage of water and energy.
- Water harvesting and saving features:
- Above ground storage
Stormwater management
Low flow shower heads
Storage connected to
- Above ground rainwater storage Type:
- Concrete tank, half buried
- Above ground rainwater storage Size
- 22500L
- Storage connected to
- Whole house
- Sustainable materials:
- FSC certified timber; Modwood floors to external areas
- Insulation Type:
- Internal and external walls
- Other Insulation Methods:
- Colour Bond roof with Aircell insulation under roof. Ventilated roof space: mesh on entire northern and southern elevations, between top plate and roof. Whirlybirds.
- Internal / External Walls Type:
- Western wall, no windows, insulated.
- Renewable energy used:
- Solar PV grid connect
- Window and Door Types
- Louvre windows
- Number of bedrooms
- 3
- Number of bathrooms
- 2
- Garden / Outdoors
- Bore water used in garden. Watering only done monthly, or when necessary, in dry season. Plants selected for their ability to manage the wet/dry of the wet tropics. No grass. Driveway construction allows excess water to soak into the ground before reaching the urban stormwater drains.
- Garden / Outdoors
- Native plants
- Healthy home features
- No VOC paint inside and outside
- Housing Type:
- Standalone House
- Project Type:
- New Build
- Builder
- Murray Jones
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