Are you keen to learn about how to make your home more comfortable to live in, cheaper to run and good for the environment?
Sustainable House Day is a great opportunity to explore homes in Merri-bek and get tips from the people who designed them, built them, and live in them.
Organised by Renew, this year’s event is on Sunday 4 May. There are in-person and virtual house tours on offer, plus a webinar series (half price for Merri-bek residents)in the following weeks. Merri-bek is a Council partner of Sustainable House Day.
We take a look at the five local families sharing their homes.
Pavone House
Built in the 1950s, Pavone House in Brunswick West has housed five generations of the same family. Almost ten years ago, the current owners renovated and extended it, focusing on improving air quality, insulation, and making sure the house could adapt to changing family needs.
Biophilic design elements inspired and incorporating nature and connection with the surrounding gardens are important features too. The house won a National Biophilic Design Award in 2023. More recently, the homeowners have installed a solar PV system and have been transitioning the house from gas to full electrification.
“Beyond aesthetics, the home fosters well-being, social connection, and environmental harmony,” they explain.
Pavone House is open for in-person tours on Sunday 4 May.
Topp Constructs CoNo Passive House
In Coburg North, this creekside double-brick cottage has been transformed by a comprehensive renovation. The homeowner is a builder by trade, and has been interested in high performance homes with low embodied carbon for many years. For his own family home, it made sense to aim for the rigorous Passive House standard for a very airtight home that needs very little heating and cooling energy.
To reduce the home’s carbon footprint, the family chose recycled and reclaimed materials where possible. Reclaimed bricks, recycled hardwood flooring, sustainably sourced timber cladding from CERES Fair Wood, and Durra Panel compressed straw lining panels all help this home perform well and tread lightly on the earth.
Topp Constructs CoNo Passive House is open for in-person tours on Sunday 4 May. Book tickets here.
1980s brick house retrofit
Though it was less than 40 years old, Mel and Scott’s 1980s brick house in Coburg North was draughty and uncomfortable when they bought it. Single-glazed windows, no shading, and poor insulation made it very hot in summer and cold in winter.
After pinpointing the issues using a thermal imaging camera from Merri-bek libraries, the couple have slowly been upgrading the home. They’ve added insulation, sealed gaps, installed double-glazed windows and added shading and blinds. They also installed a solar PV system and switched to electric appliances, abolishing their gas connection. “We have a net credit with our energy supplier, and a home that is always a comfortable temperature,” they report happily. Read more about this Merri-bek success story.
1980s brick house retrofit is open for in-person tours on Sunday 4 May.
Passive Solar electric house in East Brunswick
“Our 1920s brick home cracked up due to water leaking under the foundations, and the only solution was to start again,” say the owners of this beautiful new all-electric house in East Brunswick.
A practical inner-city home with a 7.4-Star energy rating, it has double-glazed windows that let in lots of light for passive solar performance and low energy bills. Eaves and a pergola with deciduous vines growing on it provide shade in summer. Water tanks catch rainwater from the roof to flush the toilets and water the garden.
Visit the Sustainable House Day website for a video tour of Passive Solar electric house in East Brunswick.
Peter and Penny’s House
Single-fronted Victorian-era terraces like Peter and Penny’s Brunswick home are often known as ‘train carriages’: long, narrow and dark. The couple have made theirs far more liveable and light with a two-storey extension at the rear, including a lovely new living area looking out to the north-facing back garden. They added double-glazed windows and plenty of insulation, a solar PV system and a battery. There is a parking space for an electric vehicle and provision for a charger at the back of the block.
Visit the Sustainable House Day website for a video tour of Peter and Penny’s House.
