By Jed Lanyon
To celebrate Sustainable House Day on Sunday 15 September, a Toolangi family is opening the doors to their sustainable, fire proof and off-grid house for the public to view.
The house is situated among 120 acres of forest property in Toolangi and was recently featured on TV show Grand Designs Australia.
Homeowner Tabitha said that her family has lived in Toolangi for over 20 years and that their new home was the result of a four year project that they designed and built themselves.
The walls are made from non-flammable insulated concrete forms, which eliminated the need for framing.
The steep-pitch roof of the house features an insulated foam core, which allows the roof to self-extinguish in the event of a fire.
The house was assigned a Bushfire Attack Level 40, the second highest measurement of the building’s potential exposure to ember attack, radiant heat and direct flame contact in a bushfire.
Tabitha’s partner Chris is an electrician and she said their house has amazing thermal properties to keep at a comfortable 18-24 degrees all year.
“We have a wood boiler which heats hot water and hydronic under floor heating, as well as a heating panel, a drying cabinet and two towel rails.
“Our running costs each year are a gas bottle, and some fuel for the back-up generator.”
Other features include a green wall, recycled tiles, oiled concrete slab, repurposed parquetry flooring, restored antique furnishings, mezzanine bedroom floor, gabions and a bushfire drenching system.
The total cost of construction came to $650,000 with an estimated annual savings of $8000.
The house will be on display on Sunday 15 September with gold coin entry that will support Chum Creek Primary School’s library upgrade.
Visitors must register at https://sustainablehouseday.com/subscriber-registration/ to be able to view the house and others in Toolangi.
For more information about the house and its location, visit: https://sustainablehouseday.com/house/toolangi-forest-off-grid-house/
