Kinglake
When I left the home of Lyn and Tony Carter, the proprietors of Eco Sustainable Homes, I had very firmly made up my mind that I wanted them to build my home.
I felt that they cared about me and that they had listened to what I believed was important. I never for one moment believed how I would feel about my beautiful new home when it was completed.
I knew this would be the last home I would live in as I am anything but young. Every day I look about me and feel a wonder that I am going to spend the rest of my life surrounded by my beautiful walls, glorious windows and stunning floors, all appearing to have a life of their own or at least be part of mine.
The initial stages of the build, design, permits, contracts, sourcing materials and their availability went so smoothly as I never had to pick up the phone to call Lyn, who I swear is the most competent project manager that anyone could wish for, as she would call me with ideas or requests or just for a chat.
The build itself was magical. I visited the site almost daily as it was so exciting to see it all evolve.
I can honestly say that from the start of the actual build there was not a day, weather permitting, that there wasn’t a car or two or three parked on site with Tony, Nathan and the boys slaving happily away.
Everything appeared to be done with such care, almost love. Tony is truly millimeter perfect and built the house, I’m sure, as if it were his own.
The communication along the way was legend. There were changes along the way, all of which were resolved quickly and easily. I can really say that this whole process has been one of joy and that it has resulted in a firm friendship with the Carters.
I have had many, many abodes in my lifetime but every day I wonder at the beauty of my home and the feeling is almost spiritual.
I can hardly believe that I am going to spend the rest of my life in the house that Lyn and Tony built and although the landscape in which I live is magical, it is my home that completes this beautiful place of peace.
I thank Lyn and Tony, with all my heart. We have had a wonderful journey together and so enriching for me. I know it was the same for them as they take an obvious pride in their life’s work and there must be a huge joy in the completion of this piece of heaven.
– Pauline.
Bullengarook
We first came across Eco Sustainable Homes when beginning to look for inspiration for building a new home and were impressed with their projects, values & commitment to sustainability.
The initial meetings with Tony and Lyn were focused around us as clients – who we were as a family, how we spent our time and what we enjoyed about living in the bush. And from then, the entire building process continued to focus around us, with Tony and Lyn striving to ensure our home was uniquely functional and stylized to our family’s needs and wants, all the while exemplifying a high standard of workmanship, work ethic and professionalism. An example of this ‘commitment to client’ was after an initial floor plan was presented to us. During our deliberation period Lyn rang saying she had formed a new idea for the layout of the house which could prove more functional for our family. She redesigned, and as a result the amended plan is the house we now live in. This is an example of Lyn and Tony’s commitment and dedication to their work – they were as invested in our new home as we were, going above and beyond to ensure maximum functionality and satisfaction.
Living in our new home is a joy. The workmanship is excellent, the solar passive performance outstanding and the unique design ‘fits’ perfectly in our environment and with our lifestyle. We thank Eco Sustainable Homes for their patience, professionalism, dedication and warmth, and would highly recommend them.
– Kale and Chek.
Trentham
Our family moved to Trentham (VIC) in 2009 for a tree change and quickly found and purchased our block of land. We were unsure what sort of house to build, as it was our intent not to build a standard house from a high volume builder.
We searched the internet and came across Tony and Lyn’s Eco Sustainable Homes website and were immediately taken with rammed earth as an option.
Tony and Lyn invited us to their beautiful home and they explained, in simple terms the benefits of living in a rammed earth house and how they could assist. They walked around our 17 acre block for several hours helping us to find the ideal site for the house.
Tony and Lyn developed house plans for us and with their support we settled on a plan that was appropriate to our needs and budget.
The build went to plan and was on time (even with the guys having to deal with a Trentham winter – cold, rain and the odd bit of snow).
The support we received throughout the build was outstanding, even when we could not make a decision on particular options. They were very patient with us.
Once we moved in the support continued, and now 2 years after completion they are still in contact with us.
We absolutely love our highly thermally efficient rammed earth, passive solar house and would highly recommend Tony and Lyn to anyone who is keen on personal service and a very high quality outcome for their new home.
– Rick, Pauline and Ashleigh.
Daylesford
“We purchased a wonderful north facing one acre block of land in Daylesford, to build an eco-friendly, stabilised rammed earth home.
The plan was to make as small a footprint as we could on the land and to build with sustainability in mind.
The two bedroom house was designed and built by Tony Carter – Eco Sustainable Homes in Castlemaine. It was a pleasure working with Tony on this project.
His positive bright happy outlook flowed on to those working with him on the house.
We are thrilled with the end result – with the quality of workmanship, the materials used and with the wonderful flexibility we had as we built this house.
There were times when we wanted adjustments to the plan and these were made as the building progressed. A major plus, was that we were able to build to our budget, and there were no extra costs incurred in the building process.
We now enjoy an eco-friendly, sustainable home. The walls are aesthetically beautiful. We never tire of looking at them and we don’t have to paint them. Because they are 30 centimetres thick, the house has thermal qualities that help us maintain wonderful warmth in winter and coolness in summer.
We warm the house with a wood heater, which has a wet jacket on its back, and is connected to the solar hot-water system on the roof.
In summer, we open the windows for a through draft of cool air at night and so maintain a comfortable temperature in the house.
In winter we also use SolarVenti panels which sit on the roof top and operate when the sun shines, sending warm air via ducts to the three main living areas – lounge, study and bedroom.
“Rammed earth is just so wonderful!”
– Vanessa.
Fern Hill
Hi Tony and Lyn,
Penny and I would like to let you know how happy we are in our new home. It was a pleasure to work with you both throughout the construction.
We were particularly impressed by your flexibility and willingness to incorporate our ideas into the build, as well as researching different products that might be more suitable, keeping an eye out for sustainability and eco-friendliness all the while. The quality of workmanship is excellent and we love the warmth and strength of rammed earth.
We have no hesitation in recommending you to others who want something special.
Kind regards,
– Peter and Penny.
Walmer
Dear Tony and Lyn,
We’ve now been in the world’s most beautiful house for a year, and I thought I should write to tell you how pleased we are.
From the scratchy ideas we brought to you, you have designed and built us a truly wonderful place, which never ceases to engage us when we walk into or through it. We love its lines, the clean walls and above all the feeling of spaciousness and light.
Your brief was to bring the outside inside, and you’ve done that stunningly well. From the outside, we love the way the building sits in the land, as if it’s grown up out of this stony country.
The house is a dream to live in, cool in summer warm in winter, with the solar passive heating and cooling working well.
We wouldn’t change our windows and sliding doors for anything; they were an excellent choice (considering how large a part of the design they are) and the double-glazing is magic in the wintertime.
We love the design of the glass brick, curved shower, the kitchen layout and thank you every time we walk into the pantry!
The walls, of course, (need we say it yet again!) set the tone and environment of the whole house. A visitor described the house last week as ‘elegant’, she was right.
Thank you for our elegant house,
With best wishes,
– Bron and Cath.
