Four years ago, we purchased a beautiful 2 bedroom heritage home built by Elmore Algernon in the leafy Blackburn locale. We immediately fell in love with the cottage which was bursting with characters of yesteryear. We wanted to preserve the historic elements of the cottage and carry on the legacy of the previous owners, who were advocates for sustainability and recycling.

To meet the needs of our growing family, we have built a modern double storey extension at the back, attached to the existing cottage, turning the house into a 4 bedroom and 3 bathroom home. With our amazing architect and builder, there was significant focus and effort placed on recycling, sustainability, energy efficiency, low toxin as part of the build.

The existing cottage has been fully insulated and the new addition has been built to the highest standards in terms of insulation, with high performing double glazed windows.

The polished concrete slab in the new extension acts as an effective thermal mass, passive solar design has been applied throughout to achieve a comfortable family house for all of Melbourne’s seasons.

Other environmentally sustainable design features include hydronic heating, rainwater tanks, compost bins and worm farms, and solar panels. The no lawn food garden using the Back to Eden gardening approach and the five ducks guarding it, coupled with a movable duck tractor with the goal to fertilize the garden beds are also important aspects of sustainable design principles. The 2 bathtubs in the home were also fitted with diversion for greywater use.

Zero VOC and exclusively non toxic finishes and materials have been used through the entire project, including the natural sisal carpet. The innovative aspects are the use of an insulated concrete slab to act as thermal mass; openable highlight windows above the stair case to purge the hot summer air. The upstairs rooms receive plenty of natural light without the need of screening due to the single pitched roofs and large highlight windows. The heritage protected cottage at the front has been upgraded while maintaining the original historic features.

As we walk along the sustainability path, we realize there is still so much to be done. This is a journey our family is on and will continue to be for the many years to come. Sustainability is not about the destination. The cycle of learning, adapting and transforming will never end.