Bird Song
Client brief
To design a cost effective and energy efficient weekender that the owners could also rent out when not being used by themselves.
Response
Working with a vacant block in Blackheath we needed to design a 4 bedroom house on a sloping block, with views of the Jamison Valley to the south. The design response created a house around a courtyard to allow northern sun into a voluminous living kitchen and dining area, with suspended deck.
Along side the courtyard is a hall with light shaft, laundry cupboard, reading nook and third bedroom. To the front of the block are two main bedrooms with an ensuite, with a loft bedroom above. The house is clad in non combustible dark corrugated steel to recede into the bush setting.
Designed to high performance levels the home includes optimized insulation levels, Bal 40 UPVC windows with double glazed Low-E glass, airtight construction greatly reducing drafts, Heat recovery ventilation to greatly reduce heat and cooling needs while always providing filtered fresh air, to bedrooms and living spaces. Lastly optimised thermal bridge detailing to greatly reduce cold corners that can lead to condensation risk and mould growth. A small fire can be used to heat the living area that has its own fresh air source directly into the fire, while not using the room air that can make spaces feel stuffy. A ducted AC system can also heat and cool the home.
This is also our most challenging home from a bush fire resistance point of view as all facades were classified as Flame Zone. This required a flame zone system behind the cladding to block the intense heat that the home could face. All the windows and even the front door have Flame Zone shutters. Importantly the subfloor to the house is also fully enclosed.
Key Features
- Cost effective high performance 4 bedroom house on a sloping block
- Flame Zone construction to all facades
- Flame Zone shutters to all windows and front door
- The home can be rented out on Stayz, AirBnB, Booking.com, bluemountainsescapes.com.au, search ‘Bird Song’ Blackheath to find out more
- NatHERs star rating of 7.9 stars for energy efficiency
- Electric floor heating to bathroom and ensuite
- 10KL rainwater tank to the front yard with 65mm Storz for firefighting and house use
- Instantaneous 3 phase hot water unit
- 13.5Kw PV system on the roof with EV charger
- Airtight construction 0.6ACH using a vapour permeable OSB airtight layer
- Stiebel Eltron heat recovery system
"The quality of the build really stands out — the airtight construction, double glazing, and shutters made a huge difference, especially as the week we stayed was mid-thirty degrees every day, yet the place remained comfortable throughout." "This place was magical! There were 7 adults staying and it still felt spacious. The views were breath-taking from the lounge and kitchen areas and most of the house was toasty warm through the heating system. An added bonus was the under floor heating in the bathrooms which were very chic & modern."
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