After purchasing a 50 acre property in Yandoit Hills, John and Branka approached Eco Sustainable Homes. They wanted a sustainable home incorporating Rammed Earth feature walls that was warm and inviting, quality finishes and comfort were of the utmost importance.
The house was to be situated on top of a hill, overlooking the surrounding hills and valleys. Building on top of a hill has definite advantages with views, however the winds and overall weather conditions are more extreme when you choose to construct your home in this part of the landscape.
Tailored design
Working with John and Branka to tailor their design, a solar passive home that incorporated northerly facing aspects, their breath-taking views and a beautiful and functional aesthetic was formed.
Some of the features of this home include:
- Alfresco area
- Butler’s pantry
- Beautiful stone supplied by John & Branka for flooring
- Waterfall bench and vanity tops
Sustainable features
The home is completely off-the-grid and although the transmission lines run directly through the property costings for power supply were cost prohibitive.
A 5KW PV solar system was installed on the shed and evacuated tube solar hot water system on the house roof. These provide the home with its very own self-sustaining energy source.
The heater is built into a central thermal mass Rammed Earth feature wall – providing unique beauty as well as solar passive function.
Picturesque retreat
The spectacular views in the living room are showcased through the double glazed windows.
Each window not only allows natural light to fill the entire open plan living, kitchen and dining area, but also is like a picture itself to the surrounding Yandoit Hills landscape.
This is especially evident in the horizontal window that also forms the stove and bench splashback.
John and Branka have finished the home to a very high standard and created a true ‘Country Retreat’ through both their tasteful interior decorating as well as the development of an impressive garden & veggie patch.
Resources
Follow this link to find out more about:
Rammed Earth feature walls