Amelia's House
Location | Deakin, ACT Completed | September 2024
EER | 7.1 stars (started at 2.6 stars)
Predicted 75% reduction in operational energy needed for heating and cooling
Area | 133.5 m² - no extension; garage: 31 m²; block 664 m²
Builder | Aspect Building Projects Images | Vibe Imagery - September 2024
Most people mistakenly assume these classic, 1950s, weatherboard cottages could never perform like modern, comfortable and efficient homes. They would be wrong.
Without any extension of the footprint, or disturbing the established gardens of this home in Deakin, it has been transformed from dark, cold and gas-guzzling to light-filled, cosy and all-electric. The home has also been reconfigured in such a way that a live-in carer, or an adult child seeking more independence, could use the front of the home as their private space (see the final floor plan at the end of the gallery below and imagine the addition of a kitchenette to the study),
You can see and hear more about it via very short videos on Instagram here: one (about the science team visiting), two (about how we took it from 2.6 to 7.1 stars), three (about clever skylights in the garage), four (about air leakage testing).
The floor plans above show: 1. the original layout (with a toilet and laundry blocking the northern light to the main living area), 2. the first concept design (which moved the laundry to the south opposite the kitchen) and the final floor plan (with the laundry adjacent to the kitchen on the north and an ensuite off the new main bedroom on the south).
