SUSTAINABILITY

Milin Builders, Phillip

Sustainability is an important consideration when you are designing your new home. You should consider factors such as the amount and type of vegetation to be cleared or retained, solar orientation, energy efficiency, the methods of heating and cooling, and the choice of building materials, all of which can impact the environmental impact of your home, the cost and ongoing operating costs. While energy efficiency standards exist in the Building Code of Australia, these are only minimum standards. There are a range of ideas that you could incorporate to make your new home or renovation more energy efficient (and sustainable):

If energy efficiency and sustainability are your objectives, we recommend you speak with your designer or architect, and your builder, early in the design process to ensure this is achieved.

• Use renewable energy sources (the sun) and solar panels • Consider the design (and colour) of your roof and walls • Position your windows and doors to allow for cross-ventilation • Check the glazing and types of frames on your windows and doors and right for their location • Include space for a rainwater tank (a requirement in the ACT) – and use it • Install quality insulation

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Lantern House, Victoria, by Timmins+Whyte Architects. Photography by Peter Bennetts. COLORBOND and the BlueScope brand mark are registered trade marks of BlueScope Steel Limited. 2020 BlueScope Steel Limited ABN 16 000 011 058. All rights reserved.

CONSIDERING A KNOCK-DOWN REBUILD?

Kolak Living, Throsby

If you love your current neighbourhood but want or need a bigger or newer home, and renovating is not an option, then carrying out a complete knock-down rebuild may be the right choice for you. Before you take the plunge and engage a builder (or demolition company), you should think about the following:

DEVELOPMENT CONDITIONS

Are there any development conditions imposed on your block? This might be in relation to the size of the home you can build, the external features or the setback requirements. Also keep in mind that it might take your neighbours a little bit of time to adjust to the new home design, so be prepared for some consultation.

HERITAGE REQUIREMENTS

If you are building in an older or existing suburb, it is important that you investigate whether there are any heritage requirements on your block of land. You can check for heritage considerations on the ACT Heritage Register.

UTILITIES

Before you start designing your dream home, make sure you know where the plumbing and sanitary pipes are located on your block. You should also look carefully at the location of utility mains, as you, the property owner, have an obligation to make sure that the utility providers are able to properly access the infrastructure and mains. You should make contact with Icon Water and Evo Energy to check the location of the utilities.