Final Plans

Below are the final plans submitted to Mosman Park Council for approval. Many revisions have been made compared with the earlier Concept Plan.

1. the size of most rooms has been reduced.
   
2. the second bathroom on the ground-floor has been removed and the en-suite bathroom enlarged slightly.
   
3. the layout of the upper-storey has been completely rearranged.
4. the front-elevation has been altered to better suit our taste.
   

Steps 1. and 2. lowered the estimated building costs by approximately $30,000.

We also included with our submission to Council comments from our neighbours regarding overlooking windows and the balcony.

Council approved the plans in April 2008 with one proviso - that a darker roof colour (than "Surf Mist") be used - we will use "Dune".

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Builder: Tamar Homes

Our architect Solar Dwellings sent our plans to three builders, with whom they regularly work, for cost estimates:

1. LifeStyle Homes: a mid-sized project homes builder part of the Summit Homes Group
2. InVogue Homes: a mid-sized project homes builder, part of the JWH Group
3. Tamar Homes: a small individual homes builder

The cost estimates were very competitive - within 5% of each other. We spoke with representatives from each builder, visited homes they'd built, and spoke with previous clients. We felt confident that each builder would do an excellent job constructing our home.

Ultimately, we chose Tamar Homes. The main reasons were

1. Glowing recommendations from previous clients
2. The project-home builders, LifeStyle and InVogue, both required the bulk of our decisions regarding fit-out to be made up-front - pre-start as it's called. With Tamar Homes these decisions could be made during construction as and when they were needed. We felt much more comfortable with this approach as we'd not built before and have busy lives.
   

Concept Plan

Below are sketches of an early concept plan prepared for us by Solar Dwellings. It satisfies the main requirements we specified in our brief:

1. master bedroom, second bedroom, living areas downstairs.
2. guest suite and study upstairs.

Features worth noting:

• The living areas are situated in the northern half of the home, whereas the bedrooms are in the south.
• There is minimal glazing on the eastern and western faces of the home to prevent morning and afternoon heat penetration during summer.
  
• A large bank of north-facing windows allows for penetration of the winter sun to warm the dining, family and activity areas. This heats the thermal mass provided by the concrete slab flooring and the brick wall separating the activity room from the family room. These windows will be shaded during summer using either shade sails or awnings.
• A central passageway with double-doors and double-hung windows in most rooms allows for the control of cross ventilation.
  

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Carbon Cops - ABC Television

In mid-2007 ABC TV began broadcasting a reality-TV style programme, "Carbon Cops". Each weekly episode features a different family, who make efforts to reduce their carbon emissions as well as improve other sustainability factors such as water consumption and waste production. This typically involves

• the application of technology, such as energy- and water-efficient appliances,
• changes to lifestyle, such as walking and composting, and
• carbon-offsetting.

A similar series, Ecohouse, was screened by SBS TV earlier in 2007.

Master Builders HomeStyle Show & Sustainable Energy Expo 2007

We attended the Master Builders HomeStyle Show & Sustainable Energy Expo at the Perth Convention Exhibition Centre. We were lucky enough to have free passes from our architect, Griff Morris.

Our focus was the Sustainable Energy Expo rather than the HomeStyle Show. The Expo was sponsored by the Sustainable Energy Development Office. The Expo feature many exhibitors of products related to sustainable development. These included:

• building design
• insulation
• double-glazing
• rainwater capture
• greywater reuse
• waste-water treatment
• solar hot water systems
• solar power systems

Four Corners: Home Front - ABC Television

ABC Television's current affairs program Four Corners broadcast an episode entitled "Home Front" that focussed on practical and achievable ways Australians can reduce their energy consumption. The program also revealed that such efforts to save energy at home are being retarded by vested interests and a bewildering variety of rules and rebates, local, state and federal.

Ecohouse Challenge SBS Television

SBS Television ran a six-part series call "Echohouse Challenge" in April/May 2007. The program followed two Perth families' efforts to reduce their environmental impact in four key hotspots:

1. Energy
2. Water
3. Waste
4. Transport

The series was entertaining as it used a reality television format as well as being quite informative. It demonstrated that significant, sustained reductions could be achieved through a combination of changes to lifestyle, e.g. using public transport, turning off lights and electrical appliances when not in use, and the application of technology, e.g. energy- and water-efficient domestic appliances, solar hot water systems.

A second series is being planned.

ABC TV plans a similar series, "Carbon Cops", to be aired mid-2007.