What we’re doing

My team and I are taking my 2-bedroom, semi-detached, inner-city cottage on 104m², and transforming it into a sustainable home. We aim to:

1. Go completely off grid
2. Generate enough energy and capture / recycle enough water to support a 3-person household
3. Use recycled materials wherever possible. Where it’s not possible, non-toxic and sustainably-sourced materials will be substituted
4. Minimise costs. Not only for my hip pocket, but we also want this type of build to be accessible for anyone contemplating a build or renovation
5. Achieve an appealing design and feel. We want to contribute to an attitude shift in society, so it’s important that the house is not only sustainable, with low running costs, but also that it’s liveable and appealing by today’s standards and never viewed as “slumming it” or “extreme”
6. Follow “Passive Haus” solar passive principles. Ideally my house will take advantage of what the environment provides so that the inhabitants will never have to turn on a heater or air conditioner