From 2.5 to 8 stars!

This project shows that even a cold, dark 1980s farmhouse can become a light, bright, energy-efficient family home. The original home was cold and draughty with a solid-roofed verandah that wrapped around the building and blocked any sunshine from entering the home. The ‘90s material scheme of exposed brick and timber cladding added to the dark and oppressive feel of the home.

By retrofitting the roof and wall cavities with high quality insulation and installing double-glazed windows, the home's thermal performance improved significantly. The most dramatic improvement however, came from removing the verandah that wrapped around the home and designing smart sun-shading for the windows depending on their orientation. The windows to the east and west now have operable external blinds. On the north we used clear roofing and fixed louvres optimised to block out the high-angle summer sun and welcome in the low-angle winter sunshine. The thermal performance changes raised the house from 2.5 stars to a whopping 8 stars.

The rather oppressive material scheme proved quite inspirational, as recycling original materials not only contributed to the sustainability of the renovation, but gave the home its distinctive style. By changing the lighting, painting some surfaces and introducing crisp, white joinery into the spaces, these materials took on a new life. Bricks were reused as paving for the pergolas and we decided to reuse the funky red light fittings in the kitchen. A floor to raked ceiling bookcase was installed in the living room, providing a dynamic and textured quality to the space.

The project in a nutshell

Thermal performance improvements:

removed the wrap around solid-roofed verandah
retrofitted high levels of insulation into roof and wall cavities
optimised window to floor area ratios
uPVC/aluminium double-glazing windows
smart sun-shading
ceiling fans

Sustainability credentials

retaining existing footprint - did not extend
retaining external walls and most internal walls
re-use of materials
solar hot water

You can read more about the Three Generation House here.