A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to participate in the latest Eco Homes Tour, which was held in the upper Blue Mountains. The tours are organised by Blue Mountains architect Nigel Bell, who specialises in designing sustainable homes. The homes are graciously opened by the home owners, and there is always a selection of different homes and building styles on show. All the money raised from the tours go to the Katoomba High School P&C, so you’re supporting a good cause too.
If you’re interested in hearing about the next tour which is likely to be held in May or so next year, visit
www.ecohomestour.com.au, add your name to their email list and they’ll let you know when it’s happening.
The first stop for the day was a house still very much under construction in Blackheath. The home is designed to make the most of the views and the sun, with lots of windows on the north side. What caught my eye most was the timber work in the house. The timber was almost all from the house block itself, they felled the timber and had it milled on site. The builder handling the timber work was a craftsman in the true sense of the word, his previous work including restoration work on the Globe Theatre in the UK. This was the playhouse where many of Shakespeare’s plays were held, and the restoration was period correct – traditional methods and no power tools! The Blackheath home also featured earthern walls using soil from the site. This provides ‘thermal mass’ which basically helps to regulate the temperature inside the house.
Back on the bus and we travelled to Little Hartley to visit Hartley Green Power. They had a range of solar and wind generators, with most of them in use so you can check them out in action. What got most people’s attention was the electric Caterham style sports car – which was charged with solar power! There were also a number of electric bikes and scooters on display as well.
The next stop was a short trip around the corner to a house in Little Hartley. This house was actually designed by Nigel, and the happy owners had been living there for a while. It features passive solar design, strawbale walls with an earthern covering, was completely ‘off the grid’ through solar PV and was self sufficient for water as well. It was a great chance to talk to the owners and see what it was actually like to live in a house like this.
After a brief stop for lunch we visited a heritage listed cottage in Lithgow, originally built in 1878. The cottage had been restored, and it also featured a new extension using passive solar design and recycled materials. The owner was a history buff and the home was a great reflection of that – it felt part way between a museum, an antiques store and a home design magazine photo shoot! What’s more is the beautiful garden was almost all food plants, so it was really practical too. I was particularly fond of the office chair made from a WWII bomber seat – what a great example of upcycling!
The last stop on the tour was another house still under construction in Mount Victoria. Dubbed ‘the house that ebay built’ by the owner, it featured a stack of recycled materials in its construction which were bought cheaply online. The owner was also saving money by doing almost everything by himself, and only calling on specific trades people as he needed them. The highlight for me was the home made rammed earth walls, which used soil from a construction site in Katoomba. They were low on embodied energy and looked fantastic, and a have strength similar to concrete when complete.
Overall the Eco Homes Tour was a fantastic opportunity to visit a selection of sustainable homes and talk to the owners, builders and architects involved in bringing them to life. If you’re looking at building or renovating your house and making it more sustainable, or just enjoy checking out eco homes and sustainable architecture, it’s well worth getting along to the next Eco Homes Tour.
